


Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons

by EstrelitaFarr



Category: Breath of Fire III
Genre: Complete, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Novelization
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-23
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-13 11:07:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 204,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12982743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EstrelitaFarr/pseuds/EstrelitaFarr
Summary: Dragons. Great beings the Goddess deemed evil, with a roar that shook the world, that struck terror in the heart of the bravest man. But they are now extinct, for reasons unbeknown to us... except for the last Dragon. This is his story. Full novelisation.





	1. Foreword

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Added 12 Dec 2017: Special afterword for readers of Archive of Our Own!
> 
> Hello, AO3 readers! You may not know, but I originally posted this story over at FanFiction (dot) net way back in 2008 – 2009 when I completed it. And today (12 Dec 2017), I decided to take the plunge and post it here at AO3! Do note I did so without changing any of the writing, except for some spelling and grammatical errors; it's so that I can look back and see how much I've grown since then. :)
> 
> Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons is one of my favourite stories to-date and I still read I every now and then, even though I wrote it myself! Hope you’ll enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing (and re-reading) it. :D

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Foreword**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

**To those who played Breath of Fire III:**

In this novelisation, I’ll be following the storyline of the game closely, but it’ll deviate from the main storyline. Yes, I’ll follow the events, such as boarding the ship to get to so-and-so, but the truth behind the happenings of major events will be changed in hopes of filling the plot holes. Some other events are changed to suit my needs (you’ll be able to see some of the game’s conversations though), and hopefully I’ve done my best in adding more emotions to all scenes!

 

**To those who haven’t played Breath of Fire III:**

Well, if you don’t mind spoilers (or if you just want to read for the fun of it), you don’t have to worry because I try to describe everything. One of my friends hasn’t touched the game before and she understands it well enough, so I know my novelisation served one of its purposes. :D

 

**To those who have/haven’t played Breath of Fire and/or Breath of Fire II:**

Yes, I’ll be using the idea that BoF, BoF2 and BoF3 are a trilogy in chronological order. However, even though there may be bits and pieces from BoF (not BoF2, since I’m not too familiar with the storyline), they don’t present any spoilers… I hope. x_x

 

**To those who have played Breath of Fire IV:**

I’m also one of the players who support the idea that BoF4 is the prequel of BoF (yes, the very first one), but this story I’m writing disregards BoF4 as a prequel when I write this story. So no references from that game are used in this novelisation, and that means no Fou-Lu!

 

**To those who have played Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter:**

I think somewhere along the line, Capcom stated that BoF5: DQ takes place in an alternate universe compared to BoF 1 – 4, so you don’t have to worry about seeing any spoilers about that here. I wouldn’t be able to even if I wanted to. xP

 

**To every reader in general:**

As stated in my FF.net profile, I’ve a tendency to write longish chapters (ranging from 16 pages to 19 pages per chapter, with spacing between paragraphs) except for prologues, interludes and epilogues (which have varying lengths), so if you don’t like long chapters, this novelisation isn’t for you! Though the length of the chapter is normally caused by numerous scenes rather than over-descriptions (I’d like to think so)… but I hope you like reading this story anyway!

 

**Thanks and Credits:**

Thanks to Diana-HND for providing great feedbacks even if she’s busy!

Thanks to Dejanor, Rogue Kaiser, Steven S. from Dragon-Tear forums for Chapter 24 ideas!

Thanks to Burin077 from Dragon-Tear forums, even if I didn’t use your idea for chapter 25!

Thanks to bmecoli / DavidK519 from GameFAQs for the complete game script!

Thanks to Capcom for this great game!

And thanks to you for reading my story!

 

**Disclaimer:**

_Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons_ is written by Estrelita Farr, who does not own anything from the actual game, which belongs to Capcom. And a terrible curse shall befall those who try to steal this story. xO


	2. Prologue

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Prologue**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

_All was dark, nothing visible in the ever silent abyss. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound. It might have already been an eternity, no one truly knew, and it might just go on forevermore._

_Yet, even in this eternal darkness, the very atmosphere gave one the impression of a great creature, calm in its thoughts, patient in its wait, bidding its time before the time of its awakening arrived._

_And that time was not too far away._

* * *

 

_A world that was once filled with the mightiest of creatures…_

 

“A Dragon?” Mogu said, scratching the bald top of his mole-like head. “I don’t know about this…”

Gary ushered him into a wooden cart, his furry fox-like face grinning. “C’mon, buddy, you really have to see this.”

“Okay, okay, I’m coming.”

 

… _whose might shook the world, whose roar instilled terror in the heart of the bravest man._

 

The half-mole gave a thumbs-up to the man next to the controls and the cart started moving along the tracks, gradually picking up speed. As it moved, he crossed his arms and looked thoughtful.

“The Dragons tried to destroy the world…” he muttered.

His half-fox partner nodded. “Yeah, fought in a huge war…”

 

_It seemed as though they were immortal._

 

Mogu shuddered. “I wouldn’t like to meet a Dragon.”

“Yeah, but they’re extinct now, so nothing to worry about.”

 

_But in the end, they died just like every living being, their massive bodies transforming into chrysm over centuries._

 

“No one knows why they became extinct…” Mogu muttered to himself. “I wonder why…”

 

_Unbeknownst to all, a story is about to unfold… a story of much anger… of much sorrow…_

 

There was a clank and a hiss as the wooden cart slowed to a stop.

“Well, here we are,” Gary announced.

 

_A tale – this tale – is dedicated to the Dragons._

 

* * *

 

The sound of tools striking the walls echoed continually through the tunnels of Dauna Mine, often accompanied by the rushing sound of carts on tracks and the yells of workers. It was hard to believe that, just a few years ago, this place was just a dark cavern that became home to various monsters. Now, it became a mining ground of daily bustling activity.

It was because mankind had discovered a new source of energy and power – chrysm.

These glowing ores were highly valued, for they had great magical properties of varying levels and it would take more than mere centuries for them to form. Those of a higher quality even took millennia to complete the whole process.

But where did they come from?

Each time magical beings died, their bodies would slowly transform into these magical ores.

…magical beings such as the legendary Dragons.

Gary, for one, always passed off Dragons as an extinct species. Zilch. Dead. Gone. Nothing more than mere stories told to children by old wives. Well, except for the occasional joke thrown by either him or one of his friends, which were variations of “You’d better hope you don’t find a Dragon in there!” followed by a chorus of guffaws.

Oh, that phrase became quite significant today.

It had started as a typical ordinary day. Gary got up hours before dawn, took a shower, neatly combed the brown fur on his fox face, wolfed down his breakfast and went straight to the mine. He checked in, slapped his friends’ backs in greeting, grabbed his pickaxe and started to work.

But the day wasn’t meant to be an ordinary one, apparently.

After some time, his whiskers twitched in excitement when he realised he was uncovering unmistakably top quality chrysm of an unbelievable size. He whistled to his co-workers to summon his co-workers, whose eyes gleamed with excitement, and they quickly but carefully removed the dirt and rocks around it.

However, nothing would have made them expect what they would see today.

Gradually, Gary’s pace slowed to a stop. His cheery expression changed to shock and wonder. He straightened as his pickaxe fell from his hand and landed on the wooden platform with a loud thud, his eyes staring and his mouth hanging open.

There was a green creature within the purple glow of the chrysm, still as a statue. The eyes on its reptilian head were closed, as though in deep slumber. The horns on its head were short. So were its front and back legs. Its tail was thick, though not as long as it could be, and the bat-like wings on its back were small and neatly folded.

It was just a small one, no bigger than a large dog, but it was a creature that was, until today, known only in old wives’ tales.

A Dragon.

The reaction was instantaneous. Gary and his co-workers screamed in terror and fled from the scene, dropping their tools. Other workers, unable to see the creature from their distances, only looked at them with raised eyebrows and quizzing looks, but the manager-in-charge, frustrated at the extra noise, stomped out of his office.

“What in the name of HELL are you yelling about?!” he roared in a booming voice that carried all the way to the end of the tunnels. “Get back to WORK!!”

The group arrived at his side and began speaking all at once, but they were talking simultaneously and so loudly that he could not make out any of the words they had said. It was only after all of them had calmed down enough that one person was able to explain why they were acting the way they did.

“S-sir, there was a Dragon in one of the chrysm ores we found!” he cried. “I s-swear it!”

“NONSENSE!” the manager’s voice boomed. “Dragons are all dead! GONE! Nothing but stories! Now get back to work!!”

“It’s true, sir,” Gary said, shaking his head. “Come with us and see it with your own eyes!”

His superior seemed to be in deep thoughts for a while, and then nodded. “Fine, but if I find that it’s absolutely nothing but a waste of time, I’ll cut your pay by fifty percent!”

The workers gulped. “Yessir…”

Once the manager had reacted to the statue-like creature in a similar way, news passed from one worker to another that a Dragon was discovered in one part of the mines. Everyone flocked to the huge chrysm to get a short glimpse of the legendary creature, tiny though it was, and it took a long time for the manager to wave them back to work. After a few days, though, the excitement gradually died down and everyone resumed their monotonous schedule.

After that, however, the manager had something in mind for two of his workers…

 

* * *

 

“Uh… Gary…” Mogu began as he reluctantly set the explosives around the huge chrysm ore. “Are you sure this is a good idea…?”

The half-fox nodded. “Yep, I’m positive.”

“I-I mean, there’s no telling what will ha–”

“Look, the boss said so, okay?”

The mole man sighed as he stood up. “Okay then… the explosive’s set.”

“Right, let’s get to work.”

Mogu took cover behind a boulder a few feet away as Gary followed slowly, unrolling a long coil of fuse. He set it down at his feet, struck a match, lit the fuse, then both of them prepared for a huge explosion by covering their ears with their hands.

Long seconds passed as the fuse grew shorter and shorter, the duo waiting in anticipation. Then, almost too suddenly, there was a loud explosion, followed by a long rumble in the earth. Cracks formed and shot through the top half of the large chrysm like lightning-fast snakes. The rumble continued like the low growl of a huge creature. Moments later, there was the loud sound of glass shattering, a dazzling light blinding everyone in sight, and then long seconds of silence followed.

Gary stood up first, cautiously stepping out from the cover. The top half of the huge chrysm had shattered into thousands of pieces – something that was regretted but could not be helped – and the young Dragon was now lying on its stomach, still unmoving.

His mole partner came out slowly, saying nothing as his eyes stared nervously at the little creature.

It was just that very moment when the baby Dragon stirred. He slowly stood up on his hind legs, apparently still groggy, and let out a high yelp.

“It… it’s still alive…” Gary muttered in disbelief.

The creature shook his head, still feeling the world spinning slowly around him, his small wings spread to balance himself. He had no idea where he was or what had just happened, and this place looked horribly unfamiliar.

Where did his mother go? Where had all his friends gone to?

He let out another yelp, in hopes of hearing a familiar voice, but none came.

Why? What happened to everyone?

Whining, he took a few steps, failing to notice the two men near him. Mogu, trembling in fear, tossed a spade at him to scare him off.

The Dragon yelped as the blunt end of the spade hit his head, hardly hurting him, but it did a lot to turn the tremendous fear he already felt into uncontrollable panic. Instincts instantly washed over his mind, hot energy gathering in his throat.

“Mogu! Watch out!!” Gary shouted, a pickaxe raised in a defensive stance.

“W-what?!” Mogu exclaimed, drawing back.

And they were engulfed entirely in flames.

The swift wave of orange-hot flames came from the Dragon’s open jaws, spreading left and right like a curtain caught by a strong gale.

When everything was over, there were no more men… only charred bodies on the ground.

There was no time even to scream.

The whelp inhaled sharply, frightened by this sudden burst of energy.

He trembled.

None of this was familiar to him.

“…over here! I heard something from here!!” a voice shouted a short distance away.

Several footsteps sounded on the wooden platform, and two seconds later a group of men turned up. Their first expression was first of aghast, then of realisation, and lastly of fear.

“A… A D-DRAGON!!!”

That was too much for the whelp. Whining, he spun around and toddled in the opposite direction as fast as his legs would carry him, his wings still too small for it to fly. To escape from this frightening reality.

To its despair, all he saw everywhere it went were humans, either fleeing at the sight of him screaming “DRAGON!!!” or bravely pursuing him to capture him. He dodged anyone who tried to attack him, his confused mind filled only with fear, but those who persisted were – against his will – reduced to smithereens.

_Someone help me… I’m scared…_

But he was quite alone.

Soon, he arrived in a much larger cave, with no human within sight. Trembling, he toddled along the tunnel wall in search of a hole to hide in, but the moment he glanced up, he froze.

Just above the hole he had exited from, there was the titanic head of a green Dragon.

A Dragon… his family.

He yelped in delight and leaped on several boxes to reach it, thinking that he had finally found one of his brethrens at last. But as soon as his foot touched it, he was shocked to find its hide terribly hard… like rock.

_He’s… dead…?_

Unable to believe it, he rubbed his cheek against the head, whining hopefully to get a reply.

But there was no response.

His excitement gone, the whelp slid to a sitting position, fighting tears that threatened to fall.

Was there truly no chance of it finding its family…?

He shook his head.

_No… I know they must be here somewhere…_

He stood up slowly and slid down the hard neck of the fossilised Dragon.

_I mustn’t give up…_

With one final gaze at the fossil, the young Dragon sadly turned and headed down in the opposite direction.

However, as soon as he crossed a plank onto another wooden platform, someone else stood in his path… someone much, much larger than those he had encountered. Covered in brown fur instead of human skin, he had the head of a bull, complete with white horns.

“Well, well, well, it’s only a tiny one after all!” he cried, twirling a metal pole. “Let’s get him!”

The Dragon froze, his wide eyes staring up at the man. He tried to run, his heart banging against his chest, but his feet would not obey him.

“What’s wrong, whelp?” the man thundered, his towering body moving closer and closer. “Not gonna use that fire breath of yours?”

Filled with terror, he felt the hot energy gathering in his throat once more.

“GOTCHA!!” The half-bull charged, a rope in hand.

The Dragon shut his eyes tightly, his eyes stinging with unshed tears.

_I… I only want to find my family!!_

He threw his head forward, ready to unleash his lethal flame breath.

Then, a familiar male voice.

“ _NO! DON’T!!”_

It screamed loudly in his mind.

Startled, the Dragon whelp complied, drawing back.

But the voice was familiar. It reassured him.

The energy in his throat ebbed away, together with the fear in his little heart. He gave a high yelp into the air that echoed off the walls.

Silence. Only silence that rang in his ears.

Despair filled his heart.

_Why…? Why won’t anyone answer…?_

As the whelp fought the threatening tears once again, a human man saw the chance. He hopped onto a crane, slammed in the key quickly, and swung the crane’s metal arm as hard as he could.

There was a sickening crash in the air.

The Dragon gave a roar of pain, a high-pitched one. Darkness filled his sight as he collapsed weakly onto the floor.

_I… only want to find everyone else…_

And everything around him became shrouded in darkness.

 

* * *

 

The second time so far, the whelp stirred, partly noting that the ground was trembling this time. Shaking his head, he slowly got to his hind legs, and observed his surroundings – a small metal cage, just barely big enough to fit it. Apparently he was being transported on a carriage-less train moving along tracks in the wilderness, operated by a single man.

He yelped as panic rose within him once more.

_I… I must find everyone!!_

He threw itself against the bars repeatedly, trying to break a way out to escape. The metal bars were too hard for him to break, but panic forced him to a frenzy, his lethal flame breath forgotten.

“H-hey, stop it!!” the human cried.

The Dragon ignored it and continued to hurl himself onto the hard bars, thoughts of escape keeping him going. The cage still would not break, even as his sides were hurting from the force.

But he refused to give up.

Taking a deep breath, he slammed into the side of the cage as hard as he could, and the whole cage toppled completely over the side of the train. Instantly the train skidded to a stop, its driver staring back in horror, but it was too late.

The cage rolled endlessly down the steep hill, forcing its inhabitant to be thrown against the bars repeatedly like a rag doll. He shut his eyes tightly, tears from fear and pain welling in his eyes.

And, all too suddenly, the cage slammed into a tall tree with a loud crash and shattered completely into pieces.

He was thrown onto grass-covered ground, landing on his side hard, and rolled a short distance before he came to a stop. There he stayed, his limbs spread limply, pulled down by exhaustion and pain.

_Will this… ever end…?_

As he slowly slipped back into unconsciousness, a soft white light began to surround his battered body. However, when that light faded away, the Dragon was no longer there…

…only a small boy.

 


	3. One: A New Life

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter One: A New Life**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

He crouched among darkness of the bushes, keeping his head hidden low as his sharp golden eyes focused forward. His hands, tipped with sharp claws, hovered over the hilts of his dual daggers, his muscles tensed in a constant readiness to leap.

And there it was. His prey.

The wild boar he had stalked all the way here strode along the forest path, stopping occasionally to sniff the ground. It was very thin, with its ribs showing plainly for everyone to see, but it would be able to put up a fight should its safety be threatened. Still, it was wary; it always kept a watch out.

But it was no trouble for him to follow its trail. After all, he had already trailed after it for half an hour, awaiting the chance to pounce.

He felt the thrill and anticipation of stalking, as he always did during a hunt. The hunter’s spirit inside him was already demanding him to attack.

But no, not yet. It was not time to act yet.

Unaware of the danger it was in, the wild boar relaxed and lowered its snout to sniff the base of a bare apple tree.

That was when he struck.

Suddenly, silently, he leaped forward from the bushes with the agility of a tiger. With one swift movement, he unsheathed both his daggers with a loud sound of metal scraping against metal, his teeth bared in a silent growl.

Yes, he could already taste triumph.

…or not.

To his horror, a pair of wolves overtook him from either side of him, one grabbing the boar by its neck. The boar made a strangled cry as its jugular vein was torn apart, then fell to the ground with a soft thud.

“Dammit!!” he cried.

The currs, a breed of purple and pink-furred, fire-breathing wolves, were rather skinny, their ribs showing even more plainly than the boar’s; it seemed that hunger had forced them to steal prey from others, against their normal behaviour of staying away from other hunters.

For a moment, his heart was moved with pity.

“Well… I would’ve liked to say, ‘Please, go ahead, I can always hunt another one…’” The corner of his mouth twitched, then he charged again. “But you still stole my dinner! HYAH!!”

One of the currs yelped as his dagger slashed its throat, instantly forcing it down. The other stepped back, growling, and leaped high in the air with a roar, but he was, however, faster than ordinary wolves, and soon he had both the wolves down on the ground, covered in blood.

He shook his head. “Looks like this year’s been hard on them too…”

He wiped his daggers on the grass before sheathing them, and stepped towards the wild boar. Kneeling, he pulled out a carving knife and began carving parts he had planned to bring home.

As he worked, the streaks of light from the afternoon sun shone on him, revealing his features that were hidden by the darkness in the bushes. His golden hair, though unkempt, gleamed as the sunlight shone onto it. His skin, covered in short, golden-orange fur, had dark stripes at regular intervals. His ears were longer and sharper than the ordinary human ear, and his fingers and shoeless feet had claws. His striped tail swept across the grass continually as his hands busily worked.

He was the type of person that people called a half-tiger, where half implied he had both human and tiger features, not that he had both as parents, though some people actually had the sick thought. Even though tigers were considered dangerous animals, he did little to hide his appearance; all he wore was a purple vest that showed his chest and a matching pants, complete with armbands. He had thought that there was little point in hiding himself, though to tell the truth, he didn’t really care.

Then, his ears twitched, catching the voice of a boy in the forest air, “Reeeeeeiiii? Wheeeeeere aaaaaaare yooooouuuuu? Reeeeeeeiiiii!”

“Over here, Teepo!” he called out just as he was done carving, placing the last bit of meat in the food bag he brought.

No sooner than five seconds later, a boy around ten years of age came running up to him. His straight and long violet hair gleamed in the light like silk, matching the lighter purple clothes he wore beneath his silver half-armour that covered only his chest. His sheathed rapier hung by his waist, a weapon that seemed to be a little too long for a boy his age to use.

“Hey, Rei!” he greeted with a grin, his crimson eyes gleaming with enthusiasm as he spied the food bag on the ground. “Is that dinner?”

Rei turned and grinned as well. “Thinking of your stomach again, eh, Teepo?”

An embarrassed smile washed over Teepo’s face. “Eheh…”

“Well, looks like we won’t have to go hungry for a while.” He stood up, slinging the bag over his back. “Let’s go ho–”

Just as he turned, all ready to return home with his companion, his eye spied something under the nearby bushes. Thinking it wouldn’t hurt to bring home more food, he passed the bag to Teepo as quietly as possible, bringing a finger to his lips to tell him to stay quiet.

Teepo nodded.

Rei pulled a dagger, crouching low as he moved silently towards the bushes. His ears focused forward, attempting to catch any sound from the thing under the bush. The creature made no sound, even after a few minutes… was it sleeping?

Oh, what the heck.

He pounced.

And discovered something he had not expected.

Something he regretted finding.

“Teepo,” he spoke without turning, without bothering to lower his voice. “Take a look at this.” His grin was gone, he pushed the lower leaves of the bush out of view.

His younger partner, curious, crouched next to him.

And his eyes grew wide with surprise.

Hidden under the bushes, a small boy, perhaps slightly younger than Teepo, lay unconscious on the ground, his shivering, naked body covered in dirt, bruises and wounds. His pale skin stood out in the dim sunlight, and his blue hair gleamed.

Rei heard Teepo inhale sharply next to him, and wondered if the latter recognised him. He asked, “Do you know him?”

“…no, I don’t think I’ve seen him before…” There was hesitance in his voice.

Shrugging, the half-tiger stood, grabbed the bag and slung it over his shoulder once more, stepping away.

“W-wait, Rei!” his companion called, standing up. “Are you going to just leave him there?!”

He spun around, expecting to see an angry Teepo… but what he saw was only a confused, almost teary purple-haired boy, unlike the one he had grown accustomed to.

“Are you going to leave him there… abandoned?” Teepo’s gaze lowered. “He was… abandoned…” His eyes dimmed, filled with sorrow that was nothing like his usual confident self. “…like me…”

Rei sighed. It had been a harsh year, and food were difficult to obtain even in a lush forest such as Cedar Woods – the boar they had hunted today was a rare delicacy. With hardly enough to feed two, there were certainly not enough to feed three.

That had been the deciding factor that made him resolve to walk away… until he saw Teepo like this.

Did he really have to play a nice guy? But since his companion had already said what he did… now he had not the heart to just leave the boy be.

“Doesn’t this just beat all?” Rei sighed again and tossed the bag at his companion. “Take this. I’m going to need both hands to carry him.”

His partner’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, Rei!”

Still, the half-tiger did not feel too enthusiastic, as he knelt to hoist the smaller boy onto his back.

 

* * *

 

_It was darkness once again. Just like before, with nothing visible to the eyes. Yet this darkness somehow managed to spin around him, making him feel dizzy. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to push the wave of nausea back, but he still could hear a low buzzing in his ear. He had to lie down, his head ached so much… he just wanted to sleep…_

_Suddenly, someone grabbed hold of his shoulders and shook him awake forcefully. He opened his eyes, only to see a young man with long purple hair, speaking loudly, evidently angry._

“ _Don’t you see, Ryu?!” he cried, swinging an arm angrily once in the air. “They’re weak! Pitiful and pathetic! All they can do is to use our powers to their own selfish desires!” All of a sudden he calmed down, then spoke softly, forlornly. “You’re the same as me, you must understand…”_

_No, he did not want to listen. He only wanted to sleep…_

_His eyes closed, and judging by the silence, the man had decided to let him be. However, as he drifted, he heard a different voice this time, a female one._

“ _Ryu…”_

_Her voice was soft and soothing, like the lullabies of old. Calm, full of care and love. Yet, at the same time, alluring. Filled with anticipation._

_He thought he saw a flash of white wings as the voice came again._

“… _my poor Ryu…”_

 

* * *

 

He stirred and opened his eyes, only to wince against the sun rays that came through the window. He blinked several times, and gradually his sight began to focus. He still felt rather dazed, rather confused and disoriented, but well enough to sit up, so he did so very slowly and carefully.

Rubbing a sleepy eye, he observed his surroundings – a small room with wooden walls and floor. He was sitting one of the two beds that were leaning against the walls, separated from each other by a bedside table and an open window, from which a ray of sunlight shone in. There was a door on one side of the room, and a staircase led downstairs against an empty wall.

_This… is…? Where…?_

He raised both his hands to look at them, and he realised that he was wearing an oversized white shirt with sleeves much longer than his arm. Feeling as confused as ever, he slowly slid off the bed, intending to search for the owner of this place he was in, but the instant his feet touched the wooden floor, his shaky legs gave way and forced him to a sitting position. He tried to stand up, but collapsed once again. There was simply not enough strength in him at the moment.

What… had happened to him? Why did he feel so weak now?

He turned his gaze around, only realising then that there was a nearby mirror that reflected his appearance. A pale, skinny boy around eight years of age, barely four and three quarters feet tall, with short messy azure hair and cerulean blue eyes filled with confusion. Somehow, his own appearance threw him off guard, a jolt of surprise hitting him, as though he had expected something else.

He remained seated on the floor, trying to recall what had happened to him, but his attempts were futile. All he remembered were shrieks of terror and a burst of red-hot flames…

Why?

But what he remembered most was the strange dream he had before he woke up.

Both man and woman in the dream had called him Ryu… so that had to be his name.

After a few minutes of rest, he tried to stand up once more. This time he was strong enough to at least remain standing on his feet, and he walked slowly to the door. He nudged it slightly, causing it to open with the slightest creak, and stepped outside to find himself on a balcony atop a wooden cabin in a forest.

The sun greeted him cheerily with its rays, providing him with familiar warmth. He felt reassured; as he suddenly found himself lost in an unknown world, at least the sun was something familiar to him.

Then, the door creaked open, startling himself and, for some reason, the purple-haired boy behind it. Both jumped with a start.

Ryu was stunned. He had expected to meet a completely unknown face, yet, as he gazed into the crimson eyes, he felt a certain familiarity that he had never known… as though he was meeting a lost family member.

But why? Who was this?

Seeing the astounded expression on the other boy’s face, Ryu knew he thought the same thing. Both of them had met before… but forgotten where and when.

Then, the older boy shook his head quickly, recomposing himself, and blurted out, “Ryu, what are you doing out there?” As soon as he had said that, he realised. “…wait. Wait a minute. Did I just call you Ryu?”

Ryu just nodded dumbly.

“Is that… your name?”

Another silent nod.

“That’s funny, how’d I know that?” He scratched his head, confused. “Maybe I dreamt it all…?”

An awkward silence hung in the air.

It was at that moment he caught a whiff of pork stew, and a low growl came from his stomach.

And that sent the older boy into a fit of laughter.

Turning red, Ryu put a hand over his stomach. “S-sorry…”

When he stopped laughing, he grinned. “It’s lucky Rei caught a boar today, huh?” He held out a hand out towards him to help him up. “C’mon, don’t keep him waiting!”

Nodding, he took the hand and got to his feet, though a little shakily.

And their unexplainable bond was quickly forgotten.

 

* * *

 

 

Rei had always been an early riser, so the next morning he was already up by sunrise. Though actually, he wasn’t really used to sleeping on the hard wooden floor – since he gave up his bed for Ryu to sleep in – so he didn’t sleep all that well at all. Still, he was already up, might as well make do with it, right?

Unfortunately, unlike the day before yesterday, today’s hunt was unfruitful. Somehow the animals knew where and when to hide, because he couldn’t seem to find any of them during this two-hour trek around the woods. All he could find were two small packs of currs searching for food, and he refused to bring those home because their meat had a rather bitter taste. Teepo would certainly raise hell if he did.

Sighing to himself, he returned home empty handed. Upon stepping to the living room, he found Ryu already sitting at the table, lost in his thoughts. Teepo was most likely still asleep in bed, as usual.

The half-tiger walked over to the table and took a seat beside him. “Hey, buddy, up already?”

Startled, Ryu looked up. “Huh? Oh, yeah, I couldn’t sleep anymore so I came down.”

There was a short pause.

Observing this boy, Rei recalled his initial thoughts of him. Ryu seemed to be a little younger than Teepo, maybe by about two years. He seemed to be skinnier as well, which made him look a little frail, but perhaps that was caused by whatever that happened to him before he was found.

One thing Rei noticed was how close the two boys had suddenly seemed, despite the fact that they had just met. Was it because they were about the same age? Teepo had been rather animated during dinner, telling the other boy about all kinds of things, something he had never done with other people before. Rei, as much as he didn’t want to admit, felt a little left out.

“So…” The young man tried to continue the conversation, as he flicked his tiger tail. “Do you remember what happened to you before you woke up?”

Ryu’s blue eyes dulled unexpectedly, with sadness and confusion. “I… don’t remember…” He closed his eyes, ready to cry. “I don’t remember what happened… where I was… or even who I am…”

“I… see…” He placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Well, I’m no doctor so I can’t tell you anything about memories, but you’re welcome to stay as long as you like, yeah?”

The moment he said those words, he immediately regretted it. After all, it had been a harsh year, when food was hard to come about… but looking at this small boy beside him, he hadn’t the heart to throw him back out into the harsh environment. Just like how he had felt the moment when he saw him unconscious and shivering, with not a single strip of clothing on him, in the woods where currs would be ready to make him their dinner.

Upon hearing his words, Ryu’s eyes lit up with gratitude. “You mean it…? You really mean it?” Wiping his eyes, he smiled. “Thanks… Thanks so much!”

_Doesn’t this just beat all?_

Rei sighed inwardly. One of these days, his heart would be his downfall.

 

* * *

 

 

Later, as the sun rose high into the afternoon sky, it was decided that the trio would head into the village, though for what reason, Ryu didn’t know exactly. Of course, as he couldn’t exactly walk into the village wearing Rei's oversized shirt, he was given Teepo’s old garments.

The armour that now became his everyday garments was black with silver shoulder pads, and a piece of brown cloth covering his front, with matching brown shorts. Fingerless gloves covered his hands and his greaves were silver and red in colour. They looked pretty light to other people, but in reality, they were much heavier than ordinary clothes.

“Oy, Ryu, hurry up! Don’t be a slowpoke!” Teepo yelled at the top of his voice, scaring a flock of crows in a nearby tree.

“S-sorry, they’re pretty heavy,” Ryu apologised, flustered.

“Still not used to them, eh, buddy?” Rei shrugged. “Well, at least it’s better than pyjamas, I suppose.”

Teepo grinned mischievously. “Well, we could’ve just dragged him out in his pyjamas; I don’t think those village folks are that picky!”

“N-no way!” the younger boy protested.

The half-tiger chuckled.

The walk through the forest was pretty uneventful, save for a few encounters with some strange creatures with eyes bouncing on their blue gooey bodies, which Rei called an “Eye Goo”. Ryu couldn’t help but to stare at a red one in wonderment, which turned out to be a bad idea; it spewed fire in his direction, and he would have been burned it weren’t for Rei pulling him out of the way.

_Lesson number one: the wild is infested with monsters. Never stare at one._

“And–” Rei shook his head. “–remind me to get you a weapon.”

Ryu smiled sheepishly. “S-sorry.”

It took an hour to walk from the cabin to the exit of Cedar Woods. Once they were out, Ryu found himself standing on a small hill at the edge of a huge grassy plain surrounded by mountains, like a great stony fence, and right in the centre of the plain was a small farming village. Beside the entrance that led into the village, a worn wooden signpost said “McNeil Village”.

“This is McNeil Village…?” Ryu muttered to himself.

For a village, the buildings were pretty well-organised. The northern side of the village, the side they were on, was the residential area, where the houses and stores were neatly arranged along the village road, while the southern side was where all the farms were.

As young as Ryu was, even he could tell that the farms were not doing well – the fields had little vegetation, and the cattle were as skinny as the people that tended to them. The villagers, even as they went on with their everyday lives as well as they could, had a heavy air around them. Only the large mansion to the north – the extravagant building which Ryu presumed to be the village mayor’s house – seemed to be unaffected by the scarcity that raged these lands.

“This is McNeil Village!” Teepo announced proudly with his hands on his hips, as though the village belonged to him. “Where we work!”

That statement piqued Ryu’s curiosity. “Work? What do you guys do?”

“Uh…” Rei scratched the back of his head, searching for the exact words to explain. “Let’s just say we scrounge for food.”

“Scrounge?”

“You bet!” was Teepo’s reply. Grinning, he walked to the right of the village entrance, where a lone house stood on a small hill, then turned and beckoned to his partner. “C’mon, Rei! Let’s show him what we’re made of!”

The half-tiger nodded, a carefree smile on his face. “Oh well, no harm doing it.” And he followed.

Puzzled, Ryu stayed at the village entrance, watching his companions walk to the back of the house, out of sight. Unable to see anything, he felt the curiosity build up inside him, making him long to follow them and see what they were doing. He guessed that they were begging for food from the house occupants.

He was quickly proven to be wrong.

A shattering crash came from the house, startling all who were nearby, followed by crashes of something large falling to the floor. Frightened and bewildered, Ryu stared at the house, wondering what to do.

Then he caught sight of Rei, who came running out and leaped high into the air, like a soaring bird, and surprised Ryu off his feet by landing right in front of him.

“Get OUT of my house, you PUNKS!!” an angry woman shrieked from the house’s front door.

“Haha! You can’t catch me!” Teepo’s high voice cried as he sped down the hill and stopped beside Rei and Ryu.

And the younger boy, stunned, only stared at them from his seat on the ground.

“It’s no use, Rei,” Teepo spoke first, shaking his head. “We haven’t even started today and everyone’s already on a lookout for us.”

“It’s not surprising,” the half-tiger replied, shrugging. “No one’s got much food, with the poor harvest and all… hey, why don’t we hit the road?”

“Oh yeah, good idea!”

“…what on earth do you guys do?” Ryu asked, confused. But, the moment the words escaped from his mouth, the answer hit him. “W-wait, don’t tell me you…”

The grin was back on the older boy’s face. “It’s work, Ryu!”

“B-but–” Agitated, he got to his feet. “But it’s stealing! Stealing from people is wrong, isn’t it?”

Rei appeared a little uncomfortable. “It’s not like we hurt people or anything, we just steal from them…” He shook his head. “I’m not into hurting people, you know?”

“That’s right!” his younger companion piped up. “Even a beginner like you can do it, Ryu!”

The other boy shook his head. “No way. I mean, stealing from people, it’s wro–”

“Don’t worry about it!” Teepo interrupted, grabbing hold of his arm. “C’mon, let’s go!”

No matter what Ryu said and how he protested, eventually he was dragged along the brown village path that led through the farms and past it. The farmers worked hard, harvesting what little wheat that grew on their farms, yet the three of them were going to go stealing from them…

The blue-haired boy shook his head. He felt detestable, but he didn’t feel like he had a choice… his companions accepted him, and he had to do things their way.

Soon, they left the village behind and arrived at a fork in the path, where the road split into two; one to the left and one to the right. The signboard right at the T-junction said, “North to McNeil Village, East to Wyndia, West to Dauna Mine.”

As Ryu read the words Dauna Mine, suddenly a vision flashed across his mind; a vision of a dark cave with wooden platforms, of great glowing crystals…

Of screams of terror.

_What…?_

He shook his head to clear his mind, trying to think clearly. He had never been to the Dauna Mines...

Or had he? What happened before he was found in the woods?

He pressed a hand on his aching temple.

_No… I… I can’t remember…_

Jus then, Teepo waved a hand and called out to him. “Hey, Ryu, over here!”

Ryu, having snapped out of his thoughts, his pain forgotten, spun around and saw the other two at the side of the road that led back to the village, among some bushes. He shook his head once again and ran towards them.

The other boy grinned. “All right, this is Yraall Road, where we work, Ryu.” He gestured towards the road that forked to the left. “That road goes all the way to Wyndia…” A hopeful expression came to his face. “Someday, we’re gonna blow this place and head out to a big city like Wyndia! Right, Rei?”

“Well…” The half-tiger shook his head. “Instead of worrying about that, let’s think about getting something to eat today, okay?”

He grinned sheepishly. “Oh, right.”

“We should hide and wait for someone to come by… behind that tree up there looks good enough to me.”

All three of them moved towards the said tree and kept themselves well-hidden. Even as he reluctantly followed, Ryu’s head kept chanting the same three words to him.

_This is wrong… this is wrong… this is wrong…_

But he didn’t say a word.

“All right, let’s wait here,” Rei stated, and sat down on the ground.

The other two complied, laying low among the bushes, then Teepo proceeded to explain the whole process to their newest group member.

“Okay, Ryu, when someone comes by, we jump out…” Then he pounced onto Ryu with his sword drawn, startling him. “Like this!” Then his confident expression changed to annoyance. “What’s up, Ryu? Don’t get all soft on us now…”

“N-no, this is bad, stealing is wrong…” Ryu said in exasperation. _Why won’t they understand?_

Rei sighed, somehow looking as though he understood, but then replied, “Don’t worry, we’re just some poor kids trying to get some food… whoever it is will forgive us, right?”

The younger boy seriously doubted this, but he didn’t say a word. He just didn’t want to be caught stealing…

“Hey!” Teepo cried. “Here comes somebody!”

True enough, someone was strolling down the road that led to Wyndia, but due to the volume of the bushes around them, they couldn’t see who it was.

“Okay, he’s alone… this should make it easy,” Rei observed.

Teepo flashed his cheeky grin once again, and went over to the other boy. “Okay, Ryu, show us what you’re made of!”

Ryu’s eyes widened. “W-wait, what do you–”

“Just run into him, like this!”

The older boy gave him a huge shove, with strength greater than a boy his age, and sent him rolling down the little hill towards the lone man walking down the path.

However, they had failed to notice who their target was… a huge burly man almost seven feet tall, with brown hair and beard covering his face. He appeared to be a woodsman, wearing clothes made of cotton and deerskin, and in one hand he held a large heavy sack that even Rei felt that he couldn’t carry. Ryu, still rolling down the small hill, crashed into him and merely bounced off like a ball.

And the man did not even budge an inch.

“Uh… oops?” Teepo whispered, but his half-tiger companion knew that, from his wide grin, he didn’t mean that statement at all.

“Hm? What’s this?” The large man gazed downwards, making Ryu felt like he was looking up at a towering monster. “What are you trying to do, little one? Mug me, hmm?”

Ryu, then still feeling that stealing was wrong, quickly shook his head. “U-um, I’m sorry, I tripped and ended up rolling downhill…”

“Well, accidents happen.” He started to walk away, then stopped and turned. “Listen to me, boy… if you run into those rascals Teepo and Rei, tell them that if ol’ Bunyan catches them, they’ll be sorry!”

With that, he strode off along his way to Wyndia, leaving a nervous Ryu behind him.

Rei shrugged. “Whoops, figured that it was Bunyan…”

Teepo kicked a tree angrily. “Who does he think he is anyway?!”

“Guys, I still don’t think stealing is a good idea…” Ryu began as soon as he arrived at their side, but apparently his companions didn’t hear, because the older boy suddenly interrupted with a grin.

“Hey, wait a minute! If old man Bunyan’s out here…”

Rei grinned as well. “…that means there’s no one at his house!”

“Oh yeah! Let’s go steal his food! That’ll show him!”

“No, no, wai–” Ryu started again, but in their excitement, the other two ran down the road, leaving him behind. “Oh no… what have I gotten myself into, this time?”

-o-o-o-o-o-

To Ryu’s surprise, both his friends led him through the village and back into the woods that he had came out from earlier, a place that they called Cedar Woods. He had thought that this Bunyan lived in the village…

The half-tiger abruptly stopped in his tracks, thought for a moment, and then turned to the two boys. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot.” He rummaged through the bag that he had and pulled out a sheathed short sword, a little short for a man but just long enough for a boy. He handed it to Ryu. “Here, I got this for you at the village.”

Ryu stared at him.

Rei began looking uncomfortable. “No, don’t look at me like that… you’ll need this to be able to protect yourself against the monsters around here.”

Sighing, the younger boy decided to ignore the fact that it was a stolen weapon. He nodded as he accepted the sheath. “Thanks, Rei… but I’ve never held a weapon before.”

Teepo grinned. “Ah, don’t worry, Ryu! Once you practice with us long enough, you’ll get the hang of it!”

“Thanks, Teepo.” He smiled – even though they were thieves, his new friends weren’t really that bad. They had accepted him into the group so readily too.

Suddenly, a loud screech interrupted their conversation and three large birds with green feathers and purple-tipped wings – larger than even Ryu, who gave a yell – dived at them but the trio ducked in time.

“Rippers!” Rei cried as he pulled out his dual daggers, flipping them once before getting into his battle stance.

Teepo unsheathed his sword with ease as well. “Rippers aren’t really that strong, Ryu, but their attacks sting!”

“R-right!” Ryu replied, too surprised by the attack to pull his weapon out immediately. After he recovered, he fumbled around with the sheath, picked it up when he accidentally dropped it to the ground, then finally, after a lot of hassle, managed to unsheathe it.

By then, Rei and Teepo had killed two of the three Rippers, but the last one remained. To Ryu’s astonishment, the dead birds’ bodies disappeared away.

“Ryu!” Teepo yelled as the third Ripper dived towards his friend.

The younger boy was too petrified to attack for a while, staring at the incoming creature, then he snapped out of it and lunged. However, due to the weight of his armour and his own nervousness, he tripped and fell flat on his face just as the Ripper passed by above him with a great gust of wind.

Rei reacted quickly and pounced onto the monster, slashing it thrice on its front, which caused it to, like its brethrens, shriek and disappear away.

Ryu blushed as he got up. “S-sorry…”

“No worries,” the young man replied with a smile as he sheathed his knives with ease. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just a little bruised from the fall.”

Teepo sheathed his sword as well. “Don’t worry about it, Ryu, I was just as bad the first time I fought!”

Rei grinned. “You didn’t mention that you were hiding in the bushes the whole battle then…”

His expression fell immediately. “H-hey! Did you have to tell him that?!”

Ryu laughed and felt better immediately.

Yes, he had great friends. He would need to repay the favour one day.

Though unfortunately for him, being great friends didn’t stop them from acting on the decision to pilfer Bunyan’s house.

“Guys, I mean…” He sighed as they walked up to a stone cottage in Cedar Woods, surrounded by piles of neatly cut logs. They didn’t listen the first time, so what would make them listen now?

Rei peeked into the windows, listened for a few moments, then turned towards the other two. “We’re right – nobody’s home…”

“Great!” Teepo cheered, though not as loudly as he usually did.

He went to the door, examined the padlock that kept it closed. “Locked… I’m not surprised.” He drew a claw out from a finger and slid it into the lock, fiddling with the mechanism inside it.

The lock opened easily and the door swung with the slightest creak.

“Keep your eyes open, Ryu…” Teepo warned as the three of them entered. “Someone might hear us if we make too much noise.”

Ryu nodded, feeling a little glad; at least he did not have to do the actual stealing.

Inside, the house was simply decorated but neat. A low wooden table stood near the door, several cupboards leaned on the wall next to the bed on the other end of the room, and the floor was clean. Someone had obviously been here recently.

“Okay, let’s split up and check the place out quietly,” Rei said. He walked a little and stood next to a low table, scratching the back of his head. “Where does he keep all the food?”

Rei turned around, unaware that his tail swished the top of the table, and plate that stood on the surface was forcefully knocked off the table. It was a cheap plate, no doubt about it… but the noise it would create when it shattered would certainly bring an army to the house.

“W-whoa!!” Ryu exclaimed. He dived, reached out as far as his arms would go, and fell on the floor so hard that it knocked the breath out of him. The plate landed dolefully on his hands.

“Ryu! Shhhhh!!” Rei shushed him.

“Just relax!” Teepo cried. “Calm down, Ryu, this isn’t that bad!”

“S-sorry…” Ryu muttered meekly, and returned the plate to the table.

“Now, let’s get back to searching for the food…” the half-tiger told them.

The younger boy shook his head and helped them to look for the food, for he could not get rid of the feeling that this Bunyan guy might turn up any time soon… it made him nervous. So, while the others were raiding the cupboards, he searched around the other rooms, and found a ladder leading to the basement at the back of the house.

Now the question was, would anyone keep food in the basement?

He thought for a moment, then shrugged and went down anyway. Bunyan’s basement looked like… well, a basement, albeit a small one. There were several wooden logs sitting in the far corner, two crates leaning against the same wall as the ladder, and a barrel stood next to a lone cabinet on the left wall.

Ryu opened the cupboard, not expecting to find any food.

And there it was, beef jerky!

“Guys!” he called, as loudly as he dared. “I found something!”

Hearing him, his companions slid down the ladder quietly. Judging from their empty hands, their search was futile.

“No luck,” Rei said, shaking his head. “Find something, Ryu?”

Ryu nodded and showed him the beef jerky he had found in the cupboard. Teepo’s eyes lit up as he ran to his side, clearly excited at the sight of food.

“Hey, there’s food here!” he cried, perhaps a little too loudly. He turned towards both of them, and quickly lowered his voice. “C’mon! Let’s get outta here!”

His companions nodded, but just as they were about to climb up the ladder, they heard an unmistakeably loud creak of the front door. Ryu’s fears were confirmed.

“Uh oh… old man Bunyan’s come home…” Rei gulped. “We might be in trouble…”

Ryu, eyes wide with fear, shook his head. “H-hey, what do we d-do now?”

The oldest among the three turned to the boys. “I’ll go check it out. If anything happens, I’ll distract him and you guys get away… okay?”

Without waiting for a reply, he climbed up the ladder and into the living room.

“Rei…” the azure-haired boy muttered, feeling terribly nervous. Were they in trouble now?

Teepo shivered a little. “Hey, everything’s okay… there’s no way Rei would get–”

Suddenly there was a loud crash, defying his claims, followed by several loud crashes and thuds, then there was a high-pitched yell.

“WOOHEE!!!”

Both boys stared uneasily at each other.

“…um, I guess I’d better go and see what’s happening,” Teepo volunteered.

Ryu nodded. “Be careful.”

“Don’t worry… we can get out of here, right?”

As Teepo climbed up, Ryu’s nervousness only increased, and even more so when he heard more crashes from upstairs, followed by silence.

“I guess it’s my turn now…” he muttered to himself and hoisted himself up the ladder.

He cautiously poked his head out of the hole on the floor, glancing around in search of everyone else, but found no one. The living room was empty too, and everything was silent.

_Where IS everybody?_

He thought that perhaps both Rei and Teepo had gone outside, so Ryu went cautiously to the front door, his eyes darting around, then slowly pushed it slowly open and stepped outside.

Big mistake.

There was not even enough time for Ryu to register the image of the forest outside the house in his head, before something hit him hard on the head. As he fell towards the ground, everything went black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, Rei reminds me of the ninja cat video on YouTube. xP


	4. Two: The Truth is Cruel

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Two: The Truth is Cruel**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

Ryu was unsure of how much time had passed he was unconscious. When he finally stirred, groaning softly, he was first aware of the throbbing headache he felt in his head. Once the pain had passed, relief filled him and he slowly sat up.

He found that his arms wouldn’t move, restricted by a rope tied around his torso. Suddenly recalling the events that had happened before he fainted, he looked up before him.

And froze.

The towering figure of Bunyan was right before him, gazing down at him like a frightening mountain monster. His pose was relaxed, his muscled arms crossed across his chest, but his expression was rigid, as though he was a serious judge dealing with criminals.

Ryu could only stare, his eyes widened, his heart pounding from fear.

“I already told you, lad,” Bunyan said in a gruff voice, lowering his arms. “If I caught Teepo and Rei, they’d be sorry. That goes for you too.”

The boy hung his head, feelings of remorse and regret overwhelming him from deep within him. He knew, he had known that stealing was wrong, it was something he believed. But how could he have gone against his companions when they had rescued him and allowed him to stay with them when he had nowhere to go?

“Hey, little buddy,” Rei’s voice came from his right, causing Ryu to look up at his smiling, striped face. “You all right?”

Ryu nodded, forcing a smile, but did not reply.

“Of course he’s all right! He’s tough!” Teepo said scornfully from Ryu’s left, looking at his companions and then at their captor. “Hey, old man! We didn’t steal anything from your house, okay? So let us go home already!”

The woodsman shook his head. “Don’t you know that at a time like this, when everyone’s suffering…” He gazed at all three of them, one at a time. “If you don’t work, you can’t eat?”

Evidently the purple-haired boy didn’t like this sort of treatment, not when it was from neither Rei nor Ryu, for he arrogantly yelled, “Shut up! We WERE working!!”

“You just don’t get it, do you? Robbing people isn’t honest work.”

That shut him up.

The conversation then lapsed into an awkward silence, with Ryu staring at the ground, Teepo glaring forward and Rei focusing his eyes elsewhere. After a few long seconds, Bunyan spoke again.

“I’ve half the mind to run you out of the woods, but…” He paused for a moment. “Well… if you say you’ll mend your ways, all three of you, I could forgive and forget.”

The young man’s ears perked up immediately; the statement had successfully gained his full attention. “What do you want us to do?”

A slight smile formed on the woodsman’s face as he knelt in front of him. “Rei, you’re a strong lad, I’ve got a job for you.” He pulled out a dagger and severed the half-tiger’s bonds. “You’ve heard of Mt. Glaus, haven’t you? The big mountain north of here?”

He nodded as he massaged his sore arms and waved his tail. “Yeah, I know Mt. Glaus.”

“Listen here, I want you to go there and take care of our little problem… understand?”

Ryu was confused – what problem was there in the mountains?

At first Rei seemed puzzled as well, but after a while the answer apparently dawned to him, for he nodded again. “Okay, I got it, but…” He glanced at the two boys on his left, concern showing on his face. “What about them?”

Bunyan waved a hand nonchalantly. “Don’t worry about them, I’ve got something else in mind for them.”

Rei sighed. “I know, I know, you’re keeping them as hostages so I’ll do what you want, right?” Bunyan shook his head, but he continued anyway, “All right, I’ll do it.” He turned to the older boy. “Teepo, keep an eye on Ryu, okay?”

Teepo nodded. “Sure will!”

The half-tiger nodded as well and walked down the path.

“Rei, be careful!” Ryu called out after him, and he received a raised hand as a reply.

The remaining three entered another uncomfortable silence as they watched him walk down the path. Ryu’s spirits remained down… what would happen to them?

“Hey, old man!” the older boy shouted rudely the moment Rei was out of sight. “What’re we supposed to do?!”

“Work, Teepo,” the woodsman answered, not seeming the least offended by the boy’s words. “If you want to eat, you have to work… understand?”

He stepped closer to them and cut the ropes with his dagger. Suddenly freed, the two boys found themselves gladly stretching their aching, stiff limbs.

Ryu was the first to speak after that, “Bunyan, what kind of work are we going to do?”

Bunyan went over to a pile of large logs, grabbed the whole lot, and placed them next to a tree stump in front of his house. “It’s really simple, all I want you to do is chop some firewood. I’ll let you go after you finish chopping all of these.”

“Chop firewood? Hah! That’s easy!” Teepo scoffed, and turned to the other boy. “C’mon, Ryu! Let’s blow this job and go after Rei!”

Ryu nodded. “R-right!”

With that, they started working on chopping the firewood on the tree stump, each taking turns to use the unusually large axe. The axe was heavy and the logs were hard, so their arms tired and ached very quickly. Still, keeping their word, they persevered and patiently went through each piece of log.

Once they were done, both of them heaved a sigh of relief and relaxed their aching arms.

“Hm…” Bunyan chuckled. “Not bad.”

Teepo scowled. “There! We worked, didn’t we?” He crossed his arms. “Now you won’t complain if we steal, right?!”

His companion shook his head. “Teepo…”

Bunyan crossed his huge arms. “If you keep that up, one of these days you’ll be sorry…”

The older boy kicked the air in an arrogant manner, startling Ryu. “Hah! Who cares? One day, real soon, we’re getting out of here and heading to a big city like Wyndia! I ain’t afraid of nothing!”

The other two couldn’t find the right words to say.

“C’mon, Ryu!” the older boy said. “Let’s go after Rei!”

Ryu nodded. “Right!”

They sped down the path, Bunyan completely forgotten now. The woodsman shook his head as he grabbed a nearby axe and leaned its blunt edge on his shoulder.

“Humph, kids these days…”

 

* * *

 

Ryu was still pretty new to sword fighting, but he was beginning to get a hang of it. At the very least, he was no longer completely petrified from the sight of monsters but relaxed enough to move around. Unfortunately, it was clear that he was still frightened of these creatures, for he had a tendency to shut his eyes tightly while swinging his sword wildly about. Of course, while he could hit sometimes, this made him miss most of time, to Teepo’s annoyance.

As they travelled in the northern direction for about an hour or two through Cedar Woods, the trees began to disperse and led the way to a long, winding path along a river. In the distance, a huge mountain loomed, and the boys knew that was their destination.

All of a sudden, Teepo stopped in his tracks, then pulled Ryu by the arm quickly to a tree nearby.

“Teepo? What are you–”

“Shh!” the older boy whispered. “Do you see that huge purple thing over there?”

He looked over Teepo’s shoulders and stared at what seemed like a huge purple rock with green moss on its head. He thought it was just a boulder, but felt surprised when he heard the loud rumble of a snore from it.

“What on earth is that?” he asked softly, not wanting to wake that thing, whatever it was.

“It’s a Man Trap,” Teepo explained, still whispering. “Man Traps always sit around waiting for victims to approach them, thinking they’re a rock, but those sleepyheads almost always fall asleep while waiting.”

He glanced at the Man Trap again, catching sight of a huge mouth filled with razor sharp fangs. “It looks vicious… let’s just sneak by around it.”

“Are you kidding?!” his companion exclaimed, shaking his head. “It looks big, but it’s really a wuss! Here, I’ll show you!”

“H-hey! Wait–”

But it was too late. Teepo had already started moving towards the Man Trap.

His azure-haired companion sighed and followed slowly. He felt that he would rather not go near those vicious-looking fangs, but he decided to stay with him, just in case.

Teepo stopped a few feet away from the Man Trap, raised his left hand towards it, and focused. To Ryu’s surprise and awe, a great flashing ball of energy appeared before his companion’s palm, and he could even feel the power even though he was not the one casting it.

_Wow, he could use magic…_

After a few seconds, Teepo’s eyes snapped open and he swung his flashing left hand, and a burst of flame burnt the sleeping Man Trap!

“Teepo!!” Ryu cried. “You’ll wake it up!!”

“Ryu, you dope!” The other boy crossed his arms smugly. “Why don’t you take a longer look?”

Surprised, he complied. As he stared at the Man Trap, he realised that it hadn’t moved at all. And, to his disbelief, it gave another loud snore.

“What?” was all he could say.

“You see? You should trust me!” Teepo shrugged. “Man Traps only wake up if you hit it with a weapon, but it wouldn’t wake up no matter how much magic you throw at it! Of course, waking it up would be a bad idea… those fangs hurt.”

“I’d think so…”

“Time to finish it with another Flare!” Teepo grinned again as he cast the spell two more times, and by the time the flames faded, the purple monster gave a loud roar and disappeared into thin air, like other dead monsters.

Ryu sighed a little. “Whoa, I wonder if I could use magic…”

“You could, if you put your mind to it!”

He smiled. “Yeah… thanks, Teepo.”

“Right, let’s go!”

They continued along the faded dirt path on the ground, keeping an eye out for more monsters.

“Say, Teepo,” Ryu started. “I’ve been wondering… are monsters always this vicious? And how come they disappear right after they die?”

His friend shrugged. “No idea… they’ve been like that for as long as everyone could remember, so no one really knows.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “There was once some old grandma in the village who mentioned something about it.”

“And what did she say?”

“Well, apparently someone fed them too much cake and they had an overdose of sugar.”

Ryu stared at him.

Teepo laughed heartily. “Haha! Of course, that old woman’s always sprouting some lie or other, so no one believed her!”

“…you just wasted a minute of my life…” he muttered to himself.

 

* * *

 

The rest of their walk through the dispersing trees was rather uneventful, except for several encounters with Rippers, sleeping Man Traps (which never once woke up) and other monsters.

By the time half an hour had passed, they finally exited Cedar Woods and arrived at the bottom of Mt. Glaus. Teepo groaned at the tall mountain as they crossed the bridge on a river.

“Oh man, it’s going to take a long time to get up there…” he complained, then kicked a nearby rock hard. “Whose bright idea was it to follow Rei anyway?!”

“Um… yours?” Ryu suggested.

His expression fell. “Oh, right… I knew that.”

With that, they started hiking up the steep ledge of the mountain, occasionally stopping to climb onto ledges to get higher. To make things harder for them, fire-breathing Currs blocked their path with a snarl, and even though these wolf-like monsters were dispatched easily enough, their arms still ached from Bunyan’s firewood cutting session, so they were already rather tired by the time they were halfway up. Still, they pushed on, no longer talking more than they needed to.

Hours later, the sky shone a stunning orange colour as the sun said its final farewells to nature, accompanied by caws of the birds flying back to their nests in the forest. By then, though, both Ryu and Teepo were so tired that they were beginning to think of beds at home and nothing else.

A few minutes until it became completely dark, Ryu slowed to a stop. He thought he saw a small cabin not too far away… or was he dreaming?

“Hey, Teepo,” he called and pointed. “Do you see that cabin over there?”

His friend took a moment to stare into the darkness, and then nodded. “Yeah, I see it. Look, let’s just call it a day, and rest here… maybe Rei’s staying here too.”

Ryu nodded. He didn’t feel he could go any further either.

Without thinking of the possible inhabitants inside, they barged right into the cabin, eager to escape the cold night mountain air.

The cabin was brightly lit from the warm flames at the fireplace in the far left corner, and the place was neat, despite being covered in a thick layer of dust. A bed stood at the far right corner, while a bear rug lay on the wooden floor. And leaning against the wall near the fireplace was…

“Rei!” Teepo exclaimed.

Sure enough, it was their half-tiger companion. His ears perked up at the sound of the voice, and a look of surprise washed over his striped face.

“…Teepo?! And Ryu too?! What are you two doing here?!”

The older boy grinned, albeit tiredly. “Heh, we took care of what that old man told us to do in no time and came right after!”

Ryu gave a nod. “Yeah, we were worried about you being out here all alone…”

Rei smiled, seemingly touched, but then scratched the back of his head uncertainly. “You know what? I think the reason Bunyan sent me here alone is… well, because he was worried about you two.”

He blinked. “H-huh?”

“Wh-what do you mean ‘worried about us’?!” Teepo demanded immediately. “I mean, he said he was keeping us as hostages, right?!”

Suddenly, there was a loud, inhuman cry echoing in the dark night sky outside, startling both boys.

“W-what was that?!” Teepo cried.

Rei crossed his arms, seemingly unsurprised by the loud cry he had heard. “You know the monster that’s been attacking the village? Rumours say that it’s here in the mountains.” He shrugged. “Well, Bunyan wanted me to kill it.”

“Why only YOU? It’s real big and strong, right? He could’ve ask us all to go together and–”

He shook his head. “You’re right, it _is_ big and strong, but I’m stronger… if I were alone. But now I won’t be able to use it, since you’re here… oh, never mind, forget it.” He sighed in exasperation. “Boy, doesn’t this just beat all…”

Teepo, however, pursued the topic further. “It’s obvious that you’re hiding something, Rei! Why are you stronger if you’re alone?”

He sighed again. “Look, forget it, okay? We’re all tired, so…” He gestured to the bed. “Let’s just get some rest, it’s dangerous to go out at night.”

He didn’t argue with that, but gazed at the other two. “…so, who gets the bed?”

Everyone stared at each other.

Ryu yawned. “I’m too tired to argue, so I’ll just stay on the floor.”

“That’s probably the best.” Rei stretched. “After all, we’ll need all our strength tomorrow.”

Teepo groaned. “I was looking forward to sleeping in a bed too…”

But he slept on the floor like the rest.

 

* * *

 

When Ryu woke up, everything around him was silent, save the soft breathing of his companions. It was dark in the cabin, but since the windows and doors were completely shut – as a safety precaution against monster while they slept – there was no way of telling how late it was.

Since there was no hurry, he remained on the wooden floor, resting with his eyes closed as he awaited the time to wake up.

And it came not long later. All of a sudden, the loud, inhuman cry echoed in the sky once again, just like last night.

His eyes snapped open as he sat up immediately. The other two did the exact same thing.

“It’s him all right,” Rei said, confirming their thoughts. “He’s close by.”

Teepo looked serious for once, as he stood up. “Here we go, I guess we have no choice.”

“No, we don’t… let’s go out there and give it our all.”

The boys nodded. All three of them prepared themselves, physically and mentally, for the battle ahead. Once they were ready, they stepped cautiously outside the cabin, and they subconsciously noted that the sun had already risen.

…so was a huge creature.

The cry sounded once again, and a large creature leap from the nearby cliff and landed on the ground in front of them, the way it stood on its four legs indicated that it was ready to eradicate them.

It was simply the ugliest creature Ryu had ever seen. It had the face of a purple baboon with a pink nose, framed by flaming pink mane and connected to the body of a muscular gorilla. There were sharp claws at the end of its long fingers, and its sharp fangs gleamed in the sunlight. Behind it, four snakes hissed simultaneously… connected to the behind of the bizarre creature.

“So… it’s a Nue,” Rei stated, pulling out his daggers from their sheaths and twirled them once before getting into his usual battle stance.

“…he’s up early, isn’t he?” Teepo remarked, drawing his rapier.

Ryu never really knew whether his companion was being sarcastic or being genuinely serious, but he said nothing as he unsheathed his own short sword after fumbling for it as usual. He could feel his heart banging against his chest, feeling as though it was beating ten times faster than usual.

He knew… he might even die in this battle.

The Nue roared and initiated the battle by jumping high into the air in hopes of landing on its attackers. They scattered quickly in three different directions, stumbling slightly as the ground trembled and sank with its weight.

Rei retaliated by rushing forward with lightning speed, slashing at its head rapidly with his knives. The monster lashed out with its large front claws. The first time he was able to evade it, but the second time he wasn’t so lucky and was thrown brutally against a nearby tree.

Ryu, despite being scared out of his wits, ran forward as well, slashing wildly and not as skilfully as his older companion had. He gave a cry when the Nue suddenly roared and was about to claw him, but Teepo, who had been charging a spell, managed to save him by throwing a Flare spell right in the monster’s face in time, pushing it back.

As the Nue gave a loud roar of pain and backed away, Rei shouted, “That seems to give him more pain than our weapons! Keep those Flares coming, Teepo!”

“Right!” Teepo replied, another flashing sphere of energy at his palm indicating that he was charging another spell.

“A-and thanks, Teepo!” Ryu said as he scrambled back, eager to get away from the monster.

The half-tiger charged and slashed repeatedly at the Nue’s head, trying to get its attention on him so that the sorceror could keep throwing magic at it. Ryu kept fighting his terrible fear and moved forward, helping Rei with the offensive.

“Flare!” Teepo yelled, as another burst of flames blew up in the Nue’s face, and once again it roared madly in pain.

Abruptly, it leaped high over Ryu and Rei’s heads and landed before the purple-haired boy, as though it knew it was him who cast the spells. He could only stared wide-eyed at it as it towered over him with its massive size.

“TEEPO!!” Ryu screamed.

Only his companion’s screams of utmost pain replied as the Nue attacked savagely with its claws, trying to tear its victim into pieces.

“DAMMIT!! Get away from him!!” the half-tiger shouted as he lunged forward, stabbing his knives right into the Nue’s ribs as hard as he could.

It snarled as it jumped away from him, baring his fangs.

“Ryu! Go get Teepo! I’ll distract the Nue!!”

The younger boy nodded and quickly went to Teepo’s side. As soon as he was close enough, though, he gasped – Teepo had large wounds all over the front of his body, blood oozing out of them and forming a pool around him. He was on his knees, one hand on the ground to steady himself and the other on his chest, breathing heavily as though it was a terrible effort.

“D-dammit…” he cursed shakily between gritted teeth, frowning as he tried to endure the pain. “I was careless…”

“Teepo… oh no…” Ryu muttered as he knelt by his side, tears beginning to sting his eyes.

He had finally found friends, he was finally not alone anymore. But then this had to happen…

_No!_

He shut his eyes tightly, his hands curled into tight fists as he began to glow.

_I won’t let him die!!_

A rush of energy washed over him, gathering at the palm of his hands and quickly making them burn, as though it was aching to burst out from them. Ryu gladly released them, focusing and manipulating them into green sparkles that circled his wounded friend. He focused even harder, forcing more energy out of him in a similar way, letting the green light surround him. Then, all too abruptly, the light disappeared, leaving him breathless and slightly drained.

“Ryu…?”

His blue eyes snapped open, gazing right into Teepo’s crimson ones.

Teepo was no longer breathing as hard, and his wounds were no longer open and bleeding. He seemed surprised by what happened.

Ryu’s eyes lit up. “Teepo, I’m so relieved…” He shook his head, concerned. “Are you okay?”

His companion nodded his head. “Yeah, I’m fine… still aching, but I’m fine.” He smiled. “Thanks.”

A loud roar made them both look up, and they were just in time to see the Nue fleeing into the nearby cave, away from a panting Rei.

“Rei!” Teepo shouted and got up somewhat stiffly. “Are you okay?”

The young man spun around, fear showing in his face followed by surprise. “H-hey, you’re fine…”

“Yeah, it still hurts though.” He stretched, and then grinned. “But it’s all thanks to Ryu. See? I told you that you could use magic if you put your mind to it!”

Rei smiled. “Yeah, and turns out he’s right! Well, I didn’t really expect healing magic to come from you, but I’m sure it’ll help greatly.”

The younger boy turned a bright shade of red.

Teepo grinned again, smugly this time. “Heh, and that Nue’s a big wuss too!”

Ryu’s spirits fell. “I… don’t think I want to see that thing again…”

“Unfortunately, we’ve already started this.” Rei shook his head. “We’ll just have to finish it…”

“…okay then…”

“But hey, with Ryu’s Heal spell, we’d be invincible!” Teepo stated.

The half-tiger laughed and clapped a hand on Ryu’s shoulder. “Well, looks like you’re in charge of healing now, Ryu!”

Ryu nodded, feeling somewhat better. “Okay!”

“And now, after that Nue!!”

Both Rei and Teepo sped into the cave, though Ryu hesitated at first. As he started to walk towards them, he spied a small statue at the side of the house. It looked just like an ordinary statue of a Dragon sitting elegantly, its wings folded neatly behind it. It was apparently a small shrine for travellers to pray at during their journeys.

However, to Ryu, the statue seemed rather familiar, as though he had seen it before…

… _Lord… Ladon…?_

He blinked. Did he just call it Lord Ladon?

No. No way. There was no way he would know the name of an unknown statue by just looking at it…

“Hey, Ryu!” Teepo’s voice yelled from inside. “Get over here, you slowpoke!”

“C-coming!” the younger boy yelled back, and quickly ran towards them, the statue now forgotten.

But for a flickering moment, the statue came to life and shook its Dragon head, as a serene male voice spoke.

“ _Heh, looks like you still remember me, Ryu… it’s a good start.”_

And, in a blink of an eye, the statue resumed its original pose, still as though nothing had happened.

 

* * *

 

“Geez, now where did that thing go?” Teepo wondered aloud, his voice echoing off the walls of the dark cave.

Rei’s sharp eyes spotted a trail of blood on the ground. He knelt and touched it lightly with a finger.

“The blood’s still wet,” he stated and stood up. “So it went this way.”

The trio followed the trail of blood, occasionally ducking to avoid diving bats and low hanging stalactites. The interior of the cave was a complex series of tunnels, branching here and there to confuse them, but the trail of blood never deviated. Strangely, the cavern wall seemed to glow, lighting their surroundings just enough for them to see. Eventually, they emerged in a large cave, on a high cliff overlooking a rushing river. Further upstream was a low waterfall.

“That’s funny…” Rei said, looking around. “The trail just stops here.”

Ryu took a look for himself and sure enough, the last blood patch was just at the end, right next to a human skeleton lying on the ground. He shivered; maybe this person was attacked by the Nue, left here to die all alone…

“Hey, I think I figured it out!” Teepo suddenly exclaimed.

The half-tiger raised an eyebrow. “What?”

He grinned, evidently excited. “I bet the monster jumped into the water to get away! Yeah, that’s it!”

“You’re probably right…” Rei swished his tail as he crossed his arms. “So the question now is, how do we go after it?”

Teepo stayed silent for a while, not looking as confident anymore. “...I dunno.”

He slapped his forehead. With a sigh, he suggested, “Well, we could take a detour from the trail and look around. Maybe we’ll find something.”

Ryu nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

They backtracked out of the high cliff, back into the main section of the cave, and took the first path away from the trail of blood they passed earlier, which led to another fork. Shrugging, Rei simply led them to the left path, and… arrived at yet another fork.

“Man, this place is confusing!” Teepo complained. “Why can’t caves just be straightforward like how the village is… huh? Hey!”

They had arrived at another large cave on a high ledge, with the same rushing river below. They were now further upstream, right before the waterfall, where the current was the strongest.

The older boy turned to the other two. “Okay, this time I really got it!” He gestured to the stream below. “There must be a cave behind that waterfall, so we’ll dive in from here and float all the way there!”

Rei scratched the back of his head uncertainly. “Well… what do you think, Ryu?”

Ryu jumped. “H-huh? Me? I don’t know…”

“Ah, what the heck!” Teepo cried. “I’ll show you that I’m right! GEROMINO!!” He got to a running start and leaped off the cliff, diving into the stream below.

“…well, here we go!” The young man jumped down after him.

Ryu sighed, shaking his head. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea…”

Gulping, he jumped lightly into the water and landed with a big splash. At first he went under, the water entering his mouth, then he somehow managed to keep himself afloat by kicking his legs. He coughed water and took a deep breath, glad that he was able to float, but the current then started moving much more rapidly, pulling him along. He began to feel nervous as the roar of the waterfall grew louder as time passed, and he gave a yell as he fell down the said waterfall.

“Oh no… HELP!!”

Suddenly, strong hands suddenly came from inside the waterfall, grabbing him by the arms, and pulled him in, saving him from a huge splash that almost came. Breathing hard, Ryu looked at whose hands they were and was relieved Rei’s striped face. His companions were both there, dripping wet like himself.

“T-thanks, Rei,” Ryu said.

Rei set him down. “No sweat, buddy.”

“See?! I told you it’d work out!!” Teepo half-shouted in triumph.

“Uh huh…” The half-tiger cross his wet arms. “And what would’ve happened if we went further?”

His confident expression faded. “Uh…”

“Oh well, at least we got here.” Rei got onto all fours and shook himself hard like a dog, sending water droplets onto the other two like rain.

Teepo scowled. “Hey!!”

Rei grinned. “Oops, sorry.”

Ryu shook himself as well, though not as hard as he did, and Teepo tried to get the water out of his hair by squeezing it dry.

“Well, personally, I hate water…” Rei shook his head. “Probably a race thing.”

“Uh, Rei…” Ryu began. “I think tigers love water.”

He blinked. “Oh, really? How’d you know that?”

Now it was his turn to blink. “I… don’t really know.”

A loud roar interrupted their conversation, and both Rei and Teepo immediately drew out their weapons.

“It’s here!” the half-tiger cried.

It was then Ryu realised the trail of blood continued on the ground, from where they were standing towards the Nue. And it was then he realised they were surrounded by bones… bones of the monster’s unfortunate victims. In the dim glow of the cavern walls, the huge shadow of the Nue limped out of the hole, baring its fangs. It roared again, preparing itself for battle in spite of its bleeding wound.

Ryu fumbled around for his sword again, trying to ignore the fear that consumed him. Rei had already lunged forward and slashed relentlessly with his daggers, expertly evading all of the monster’s claw swipes.

“Flare!” Teepo cried.

Magical flames burnt the Nue furiously. It roared loudly in pain and reared on its hind legs, flinging its claws at the closest one at it – Rei. He let out a yell as the razor sharp claws drew blood from him. Gritting his teeth, he managed to back away before it lashed out with the other claw, clutching the new gashes on his chest.

Ryu quickly started casting a spell. He was still rather new at it, but he focused his mind as hard as he could, feeling the energy gathering in his hands. He started glowing as the spell neared its completion, and then he stabbed his sword into the air above him.

“Heal!” he shouted, and the familiar green sparkles circled Rei as his wounds healed.

“Thanks, Ryu!” The young man held his knives in front of him properly, ready to strike again. “Teepo! I’ve an idea! Throw another Flare at him, the strongest one you have!”

Teepo nodded. “I’ve got it!”

“Ryu, stay far enough from its claws – leave this to me!”

The smaller boy nodded as well. “Be careful!”

“One Flare coming up!” The other boy grinned, throwing his free hand forward as the sphere of light flashed. “FLARE!!”

This Flare was unlike the previous once he had cast; this time the fire that burned was bigger than the last, twice as furious… it engulfed the Nue mercilessly, causing it to roar. Just like before, it reared on its hind legs once again, its claws raised and ready to strike.

“NOW!!” Rei cried, and lunged at that very moment.

With one swift movement, he stabbed the monster’s chest with both his daggers, then pulled out three more and threw those as hard as he could. This time it let out an ear-shattering roar, forcing the others to cover their ears with their hands.

Teepo, then, threw the final spell he had been charging. “SIMOON!!”

Suddenly the Nue exploded in a burst of flames, which expanded like a growing sphere. The force sent it crashing into the wall behind it, sending a tremor along the cave wall. It slid slowly to the ground, its head lowered, its body limp. Then, with one final ear-shattering roar, it reared up for the final time, spreading its front legs to the side… and froze.

All three of them stared at it, unable to believe their eyes.

“…it’s dead…” Rei broke the silence.

As though the ice had been broken, they collapsed onto the floor breathing rapidly. Though the battle was short, it had been a frightening one.

Teepo grinned. “We did it! We killed the monster!!”

Rei nodded, grinning as well. “Yeah, and I didn’t think we could do it too!”

Ryu smiled, his heart filled with relief at the end of the battle, but his eyes wandered towards the dead Nue. It was dead, yet its rigid body stayed in that same position, its front legs spread awkwardly to the sides. Somehow, the sight of him made him uneasy… it was as though the creature was trying to protect something.

He spied a small opening in the wall behind it, and vaguely remembering that it had come out from there when they arrived here earlier. He got to his feet and walked over to the body, squeezing through the small opening.

…and gasped.

“Hey, Ryu, what did you find?” Teepo’s voice came from behind him.

There was no reaction from him.

“Ryu? What–” Rei froze.

Beyond the opening was a small cave, part of the ground covered in straws, furs and leaves… a nest. On the nest were all kinds of food that could be found in the village, both fresh and rotten – fruits, vegetables, and cooked meat – and three small unmoving creatures. They looked just like a smaller, skinner version of the Nue, without a single strand of fur on them.

But, the terrible stench that came from them indicated that they had been dead for a long time. The Nue might have not realised that her cubs were dead, and kept bringing food…

And for that, they killed her.

Ryu stared blankly at the three cubs, not even realising that tears were streaming down his cheeks.

Rei shut his eyes tightly.

Teepo laughed nervously in a feeble attempt to remain undisturbed by the scene. “…boy, it wasn’t too bright, was it? I mean, its cubs were already dead, and it didn’t realise…”

Then he, too, lapsed into silence.

It took a long time before they could leave the ghastly scene behind them, and even then the scene burned into their mind. It did not leave them even after they had jumped into the underground stream and let it float them outside, nor did it leave them when they pulled themselves out of the river and onto land at the foot of the mountain.

But seeing a familiar person did take it off their minds for a fleeting moment.

“You managed to kill the Nue, huh?” a gruff voice said, its owner approaching.

Rei shook his head. “Bunyan…”

Bunyan crossed his arms. “So, how does it feel like to do some real work for a change, hmm?”

None of them replied.

He looked around the mountainside. “Soon spring will come, animals will return, and life will get a little easier…” He smiled. “You three did a good job.”

When he was replied by further silence, he turned to leave, but the half-tiger suddenly spoke.

“Bunyan.”

Bunyan stopped and faced them again, silent this time.

“You knew… didn’t you?” Rei, suddenly angry, swung an arm in the air. “You know she was only hunting food for her cubs, and still you had us KILL her?!”

More tears slid down Ryu’s cheeks, but this time he made an effort to wipe them.

Bunyan remained silent for a moment, then spoke softly. “If you had known… would you have let her live? Would you have let her continue to plague the village?”

All the anger ebbed away from Rei as he stared, stunned. “…I…”

The woodsman turned away once more. “Sometimes, in order to gain something, one needs to sacrifice something else… remember that.”

With that, he left them.

Ryu sniffed, his gaze remained on the ground.

Rei sighed, but no other sound came from him.

Teepo, then, spoke.

“Did we… do the right thing…?”

_Alas, the truth is cruel._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always find the part on the Nue cubs so sad. T_T


	5. Three: Heroes or Thieves?

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Three: Heroes or Thieves?**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

The sun shone brightly onto the bright green leaves of the trees, the birds sang the song of spring and darted off to meet their partners, and squirrels bounded from tree to tree in play. Rabbits chased each other, the deer grazed peacefully in the forest clearings, foxes rested in the shade under the bushes.

Spring had come.

A particular young boy with long purple hair walked through the woods, his hands full of apples, to a wooden cabin situated on a little hill. With some difficulty, he managed to turn the doorknob, kick the door open and enter.

“Hey! I’m home!” Teepo cried.

There was no one in the house at all.

“Now that’s funny… where did they go?”

He placed all the apples on the table and went outside once more, looking around for his companions. He soon found them sparring at the nearby forest clearing.

Ryu was getting much better at using his sword and he was used to carrying it by now, thanks to Rei and Teepo’s constant training, but he still couldn’t help but to swing wildly each time fear gripped him, and that fear always overwhelmed him in the face of monsters. However, he was better at the Heal spell now and even learned a new one called Purify, which would detoxify one’s body of poison.

The older boy yelled loudly, waving madly. “Heeeey! Rei! Ryu!”

“Hey, you’re back.” Rei sheathed his daggers with ease. “Found anything new this time, Teepo?”

Teepo shook his head. “Nope, just apples and berries.”

He groaned. “Man, not again, the least you could do is getting us some meat…”

“Hey, it’s not my idea that it’s my turn to get breakfast!” he protested.

Ryu didn’t mind having apples for breakfast again, he liked very much. However, the other two evidently preferred something else to eat, so he sheathed his sword and tried to raise their spirits.

“At least we don’t have trouble finding food anymore… right?” he said hopefully.

It seemed to have worked on Teepo, for he grinned. “Yeah, it’s a good thing we got rid of that monster, huh?”

Now his own spirits fell. Killing the Nue three months ago was something he still regretted to this day.

Then, the other boy’s eyes lit up. “Hey, I’ve got a good idea!”

Rei groaned again. “Oh no…”

“Oh yes! Why don’t we go down to the village and show them who did it?” He punched the air confidently. “Tell them who got rid of the monster!!”

Ryu shook his head. “I don’t think it’s that much of a good idea… I mean, isn’t it better if we don’t brag about it?”

“Aw, c’mon!”

“But…” Rei swished his tail as he thought for a moment. “…I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to go and see what they’re saying about us…”

Teepo perked up immediately. “Then we can go?! C’mon, c’mon! Let’s go now!” He ushered them towards the dirt path leading outside of Cedar Woods. “Go go go!!”

Ryu blinked. “Where… does he get all his energy from?”

The half-tiger shrugged. “Beats me…”

 

* * *

 

It took about an hour and a half to walk to the village, but even Ryu found it easy to defeat the attacking monsters now. He still wondered why they were so vicious, unlike animals, and why they disappeared the moment they died… though it seemed he would not get the answers anytime soon.

Teepo ran ahead into McNeil village when they finally arrived at the village gates, eager to see how the townspeople reacted, while Ryu and Rei lagged behind, more worried about whether they would receive a cold reception or not. But somehow the place was eerily silent today…

“Hey, that’s funny…” Teepo said, looking around. “There’s no one here.”

It was true. Whereas the last time they were here, there were people walking up and down, working in the fields or taking care of the shops… now, there were no sign of people within their line of sight at all.

Teepo crossed his arms. “Right after I told them we’ll be coming today too…”

The young man let out a sound similar to a strangled gasp and grabbed him by the collar. “I KNEW IT! I knew you were bragging about it!!”

He paled a little. “H-hey, cool it, Rei, it’s not like I said I did it alone! Honest!”

Ryu, however, was not paying attention at all, and started to feel uneasy. “Um, g-guys… look…”

The other two turned, and began to look uncomfortable as well.

The villagers, who had been in their houses, had came out from the buildings all at once, as though they had been summoned by a silent horn. The men surrounded the trio first, all wielding tools such as hoes, sickles and rakes (Ryu could not help thinking that it would be painful to be hit by these weapons), followed by the women and the elderly behind them.

The three of them backed away from the villagers and into each other, feeling nervous… what kind of trouble had they landed themselves into this time?

Even Rei, who kept his cool most of the time, seemed shaky. “H-hey, Teepo… what’s going on?”

Teepo shook his head quickly. “I-I don’t know, I didn’t expect this to happen at all…”

Ryu could only shiver in fear.

One old man in a brown coat stepped forward from among the people, leaning heavily on a wooden cane, and spoke in a raspy voice, “Hey, you three.”

He did not sound furious or sad. He spoke inquiringly, as though puzzled about something. The same could be said about the other villagers’ expressions – only puzzlement and confusion could be seen on their faces, as if they had just received a strange piece of news.

“Y-yes?” Rei replied.

Ryu gulped.

The old man hesitated for a moment, and then asked uncertainly, “Is it true that you three… killed the Nue?”

The trio, beginning to wonder about this, nodded simultaneously, and several people gasped.

Another man, a younger one, gazed at them. “So what Bunyan said was true…”

“You mean to say that…” An old woman shook her head, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “You risked your lives… for us?”

Rei scratched the back of his head, not quite knowing what to answer. “Um… I guess you could say that…”

Ryu shut his eyes tightly as he cowered in fear, somehow expecting the mob of people to yell out in anger and throw things at them. However, that did not happen, and instead… they cheered.

Teepo’s eyes grew wide while Rei was so shocked that his jaw dropped, and Ryu opened his eyes slightly in curiosity – this was entirely the opposite of what they had expected.

“Thank you so much!” a woman cried, smiling widely.

A man went up to them and happily shook their hands in turn. “Thanks to you three, the harvest is so much better now! We have much more food than we need!”

“You won’t need to steal anymore!” another man stated. “If you ever need food, just ask!”

“Wow!” Rei muttered.

The old man who had first spoken shook his head. “We misjudged you boys, and we’re really sorry… will you forgive us?”

Ryu nodded, smiling now. “Of course!”

Teepo grinned. “You bet!!”

“Well, you heard their answers!” Rei stated, grinning as well.

The crowd cheered even more loudly, then some of the stronger men swept them off their feet and carried them above their heads. They were heroes, and everyone else seemed to want to shake hands with them.

The azure-haired boy turned red, feeling bashful and uneasy especially since he wasn’t used to being treated like this, yet he felt relieved – at least he did not have to go on regretting about killing the Nue after all. All he had to do was think how much happier the villagers were after it was dead.

 

* * *

 

It took a very long time before the enthusiasm died down. When the people finally let them go free, Ryu flopped down onto a patch of grass under a tall tree nearby, where it sheltered him from the afternoon sunlight.

“Whoo! That was GREAT!” Teepo cried, grinning from ear to ear. It was clear that he loved the attention.

Even Rei, who was usually a little quiet, couldn’t help but to grin. “Doesn’t that just beat all? We’re heroes now!”

“Now I feel important!” Teepo elbowed the other boy lightly. “What about you, Ryu?”

Ryu, still lying on the ground, looked up at them and wondered where both of them got their energy from. “I’ll say, I’ll pass on the excitement anytime…”

“What?!” he exclaimed loudly. “You can’t mean that!” He grabbed him by the shirt and shook him furiously. “What’s wrong with you, Ryu?! They’re giving us the hero treatment! The HERO treatment!!”

Rei shook his head. “H-hey, Teepo, you’ll kill him…”

“Eh?” He stopped shaking Ryu and looked up at Rei, as though he had just noticed him the first time. “What are you talking about? He doesn’t mind, do you, Ryu?”

Ryu didn’t reply, for he appeared to be stunned and dizzy from all the shaking.

“…ah, he’s tough! He’ll live!” He dropped him so abruptly that he was slammed onto the ground.

He slowly sat up and rubbed his sore head as he made a mental note never to incur his friend’s wrath in future…

“So, Rei,” Teepo spoke again, crossing his arms. “What do we do now?”

“Hm…” The young man shrugged. “I don’t really know… maybe we could just hang around a bit?”

He scowled. “Aw, that’s boring!”

“Then why don’t you think of something better to do?”

At that very moment, Ryu immediately knew that Rei had said the wrong thing, for then Teepo’s eyes lit up as they usually did when he had one of his “bright ideas”.

“Hey, we could go and do more heroes’ work!” Teepo grinned again, clearly proud of his idea. “You know, like killing more monsters for other people! C’mon, whaddya say?”

The other two groaned. “Oh, no…”

“Psst, hey,” a voice abruptly whispered near them.

The three of them instantly turned towards the voice, and saw a shady-looking person –probably a man – his features completely hidden within a deep green cloak. Ryu thought that he had seen him around during the gathering of the villagers earlier, eyeing them carefully.

“Heh heh, you guys are really something…” the cloaked man continued to talk in a low voice. “I’m really impressed! No, I mean it, I really am!”

Ryu felt uncomfortable… it was clear that this person was untrustworthy, and by Rei’s raised eyebrow, he seemed to be thinking the same thing as well.

“Who’re you?” the youngest of the trio asked boldly.

“Me? You can just call me Loki.” He paused a moment, as though hesitating, though the younger boy immediately had the image of him grinning evilly in his mind. “So you guys are heroes, huh? Saved the village? Oh yes, you guys are heroes indeed, definitely something… I mean, you killed that Nue, something no one else was able to do!”

Ryu and Rei glanced at each other, both a little disgusted at all the false flattery, but Teepo, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the rapt attention.

“Yep, we’re heroes all right!” he bragged, puffing out his chest. “We’re really strong!”

The young man shook his head, his eyes watching the cloaked man warily. “Why don’t you cut your speech short and tell us what you really want?”

If Loki's face was visible, he would have smiled. “Nothing gets by you, does it? Yes, I do want a little… favour.”

The more he spoke, the more Ryu disliked him, and the more he felt uneasy. Everything about this cloaked guy seemed to be yelling the word _untrustworthy_ in the boy’s mind, despite how he tried to push it away long enough to listen. And there was this strange feeling deep inside him, a feeling that this man would bring ruin to their now peaceful lives…

The half-tiger’s tail swished. “So what’s the favour?”

Loki seemed to be acting a little nervous as he looked around him, then whispered again, “It’s not safe to talk here… Look, along this road, there’s a hut at the edge of a farm… I’ll meet you there later, okay?”

Teepo grinned. “You bet!”

If he grinned as well, the others would not know due to the shady hood. “Then we have a deal!” He started moving away, then glanced back and said, “I’ll meet you later!”

With that, he walked away.

Ryu and Rei said nothing as they stared at the other boy.

“…what?” Teepo demanded, puzzled.

“Are you really that dense?” Rei shook his head in exasperation. “That guy has ‘ _HEY, I’M A SHADY GUY!!_ ’ written all over him!”

“Don’t you think so, Teepo?” Ryu asked, feeling a little despaired. “There’s just something about him… I can’t trust him.”

“I agree. But there’s that chance that he’s just asking for a simple favour.” The young man seemed thoughtful for a moment. “So… what do we do with this Loki guy? Do we meet him?”

As expected, the blue-haired one shook his head quickly. “No way.”

The other boy pondered over his thoughts. “Well… I’m curious. I want to at least know what he wants us to do. What about you, Rei?”

Rei shrugged. “I don’t really know… why don’t we just go and meet him? And if he asks us to do something bad like Ryu thinks, we’ll decline right away.”

“Sounds fair.”

Ryu sighed, but couldn’t argue with that.

 

* * *

 

It didn’t take them long to find the aforementioned hut, since it was standing right in the middle of the cluster of farms and next to the main road. When they entered it, Ryu rather hesitantly, Loki was already waiting for them in there, standing next to a few crates leaning against the wall.

“Oh, you’re finally here!” he cried, seemingly excited when they entered. “No, I haven’t been waiting long, but I would’ve waited forever for this!”

Rei looked as though he wanted to hit him. “Okay, just cut the crap and tell us what you want.”

Ryu, who sat on a barrel, shifted uneasily but said nothing.

The green-cloaked man hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Well… I’m sure you’ve heard the stories before. You know, the ones about Mr. McNeil?”

Teepo crossed his arms. “You mean, the ones about the mayor being cheap and greedy and collecting too much tax? There are lots of people like that, so what?”

Loki began twiddling his thumbs around, a little nervously. “Yes, but… well… don’t you think that he’s… well… a little too greedy?”

“Some of the villagers have been complaining about him…” Rei admitted. Suddenly, he realised and stared at the shady man. “W-wait, you want us to steal from him?!”

“What?!” Teepo exclaimed.

The other boy, startled, stood up immediately. “No! There’s no way we’re going to do that!”

Loki’s shoulders hunched. “No, no, that’s not all…” He glanced at all three of them. “Well, if you stole tax money and give it back to the people…” It was as though he was trying to urge them to say it instead of him.

Teepo perked up. “Waitaminute! Then they’ll be even more grateful and we’ll be even more popular!”

Loki nodded, his spirits raised. “Yes, that’s it! You’ll do it then?”

He grinned. “You bet!”

Rei considered it for a moment and nodded. “It’s for the people…”

Ryu remained quiet, not wanting to participate in this activity that gave him such a bad feeling… but the others had already agreed and he was outvoted by two to one. He sighed, hoping that his intuition was wrong this time.

“Oh, thank you so much!” Loki cried, ignoring Ryu’s silence. “There’s absolutely no time to waste! You should go tonight!”

The half-tiger blinked. “Tonight? Wait, isn’t that a little too so–”

Apparently the cloaked man did not hear him. “So I’ll see you here at midnight then! Thank you so much!” Before anyone else could say anything, he left.

They kept quiet for a while, then Rei spoke, shrugging. “Well, I guess we should rest while we can.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

The hut had been abandoned for a long time, so the trio could stay there without being disturbed by any farmers outside. A few hours later, once they felt that they had rested enough, they waited for it to be truly midnight. Rei leaned against the wall and Ryu just sat next to him, feeling terribly nervous about what they would soon do, but Teepo, rearing to go, kept walking around the hut in a circle as he couldn’t stay still.

However, they stopped and turned the moment Loki entered the hut, who spoke excitedly, “It’s night, everybody!”

“Yes!” Teepo cried. “Finally!”

“They’ve just finished repairing the broken wall, and I must say it’s a perfect job…” the cloaked man stated. “But I’m sure people as resourceful as you three can find a way!”

“Of course!” He turned to his companions. “Ryu! Rei! Let’s go!”

They nodded.

As the trio left the hut, they moved stealthily in the faint moonlight, along the road to the east. As they neared the manor in the distance, Rei whispered to them, “Okay, let’s split up and look for a way in, but be careful, we don’t know what’s in store for us here.”

Teepo grinned. “I’ll find a way in, you’ll see!”

Ryu shook his head and sighed as they separated, but complied by inspecting the wall. As he walked along the stone barrier to the left, he met Rei, who also decided inspect the wall. The latter muttered to himself as his tail bobbed up and down, his chin held in his hand.

“I can climb up there no problem… but I wonder if Ryu could handle it?”

“No, I can’t,” the boy replied, startling his companion. “So don’t even suggest it.”

“Ah, okay, that option’s out then…”

Further down along the wall, Ryu caught sight of Teepo checking out the heavy iron front gates, muttering to himself, “Why don’t you just walk on the front door and say, ‘We’re here to give all the money that you stole back to everyone’?”

Ryu shook his head. “That wouldn’t work at all…”

The other boy grinned sheepishly. “Eheh, of course it wouldn’t… Who’ll be silly enough to do that?!”

He was about to say ‘you’, but caught himself just in time.

Ryu went all around the wall except for the repaired part of the wall, keeping his eyes peeled for an opening of some sorts, but simply couldn’t find a way in. Soon, however, he arrived at a part of the wall that was of a different colour compared to the other parts – while the main wall was made of red bricks, at this part of the wall there was a rectangular shape of a darker coloured brick.

It seemed terribly suspicious.

He called softly to his companions, who came a moment later.

“What’s up, Ryu?” Rei asked. “Find something? Hey… isn’t that the wall that they were working on before?” He inspected the wall closely, but other than the fact that it was discoloured, it seemed like a perfectly built wall. “Damn, looks like there’s no way in here either…” He put a hand onto the darker wall and leaned onto it. “How’re we going to get inside if we can’t find a way?”

All the time he was talking, he didn’t realise that the wall he was leaning on was moving.

“Rei!” Teepo cried.

“What?” He turned his head towards them. “Don’t yell so loudly, Teepo, you’ll get us cau– UWAH!!”

He fell backwards as the discoloured wall crashed onto the ground with a great cloud of dust, as though it was a gate with broken hinges.

“Are you okay?” Ryu asked, shaking his head.

Rei got onto his feet, seemingly unhurt as he rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. “Doesn’t this just beat all… so much for a _perfect_ repair job.”

“Who cares? We can get in now!” Teepo declared, stepping through the new opening.

“Who goes there?!” a male voice immediately called out, belonging to a single guard dressed in full armour.

“Damn, already?!” Rei exclaimed, pulling out his weapons, and his companions followed suit.

The guard paused when he saw him, and chuckled. “Oh, it’s just Rei and the two boys…”

The young man blinked. “You know who I am?”

He shrugged. “Of course, you’re famous here now since you beat the Nue.”

“Well, I didn’t do it alone, you know.”

“Nonetheless,” the guard continued. “If you beat that Nue, then I don’t stand a chance against you, right?”

“What are you getting at?” Teepo shook his head. “Ah, who cares! We’re going in!”

He seemed to be thinking for a while, then spoke. “…fifty zenny.”

At first Ryu stared at him, wondering why on earth he would suddenly mention money in the middle of catching robbers, then he nearly fell over when he realised with a start – bribery.

Rei contemplated about it for a moment and forked out the required amount of money reluctantly. “Here, is that enough?”

The guard grinned. “Heh heh, thanks, it’s enough. Our salary’s not that great, you know?” He turned his back towards them and then cried enthusiastically, “Well, I didn’t see anything!”

The trio stared at his back disbelievingly as they passed him, walking along hedges cut in the shape of walls, and moved over to a good hiding spot next to a staircase leading upwards. Once they were satisfied that there were no guards around, they climbed the staircase and stepped onto a stone platform.

As they did, however, Ryu spied something on the floor near the railing and picked it up… it was a brown wallet, fat with coins.

Teepo stared. “What’s a wallet doing here?”

The oldest among the three shrugged. “Hold on to it, I guess, it might be useful later on.”

Ryu seriously doubted it… but he obeyed anyway.

At the top of another staircase that led downwards not ten steps away, there was another guard there. He looked around everywhere, as though he was searching for something. Just as he turned around though, he immediately spied the trio and cried, “Hey, who’re you?!”

“Yikes!” Rei exclaimed.

“Damn!” Teepo cried.

Ryu raised his hands up in reflex, as if he was defending himself, and one of them still holding the fat wallet.

The guard blinked as he caught sight of the item. “Hey! That’s MY wallet! I’ve been searching for it everywhere!!”

“Oh, um… here you go.” The younger boy handed the wallet to him.

He took it quickly, checking if his money was still in there, and he sighed in relief. “Whew, thanks! I was worried what my wife’s gonna say if she finds out I lost my wallet and all the money inside!”

Teepo grinned. “Well, now you don’t have to worry anymore!”

“Yeah, I appreciate it!” Then, he abruptly seemed very uncertain. “Um… well… okay, I really shouldn’t do this, but seeing as you found my wallet for me…” He stepped back, leaving enough space for a person to walk across the stone platform instead of going downstairs. “I’ll let you through, okay?”

“Hey, thanks!” Rei said, grinning.

“Just one thing…” The guard looked around quickly, trying to see if there was anyone about, then continued, “We all work for McNeil, but he’s not a very nice guy and he doesn’t pay us much. We’re supposed to keep watch with lanterns, but only the hardworking ones do that.”

Teepo nodded. “Point noted. Thanks again!”

“No, thanks to you guys for getting my wallet back!”

Those were two guards they had gotten past.

However, as soon as they took another staircase down back to the ground, it was plain that there were a lot more guards around than they had initially thought. Rei, the most agile among the three, headed on ahead to determine the safest route through the maze of McNeil’s garden before waving the boys forward quickly.

After dodging about seven guards with lanterns, they arrived at a tall platform with a ladder going up. Teepo, inquisitive as he was, climbed up the ladder, and to his surprise, there was only a bell there, hanging by a rope to a pole.

“Teepo, what are you doing up there?!” Rei whispered sharply. “Get back here!”

“There’s a bell up here!” the boy whispered back. “Bells are normally meant to be used as some sort of alarms…” He grinned. “I’m going to hit it!”

Ryu paled. “No, Teepo! Wai–”

But it was too late. The purple-haired boy went straight up to the bell, which was as large as himself, and gave it a big kick.

_DONG!!_

The sound of the bell rang across the garden, loudly and clearly, and Ryu shivered as he thought of being caught by guards… however, none came to the tall bell platform.

“Hey, quitting time!” a man’s voice said from somewhere.

“Yeah! Man, guarding is a boring job!” another man stated.

When Ryu peeked out from the side of the platform, he was surprised to find that some of the guards were walking away, stretching and chatting among each other.

“Hey… they left!” Rei stated in disbelief.

Teepo grinned as he climbed down the ladder. “I told you it’d work out!”

He did not argue. “Great, that means there are fewer guards around!”

He was right – the guards had definitely reduced by quite a number. Now they had no problems walking between the hedges, as though they owned the place, though however, there were still a large number of guards patrolling the entrance to the mansion. The trio dodged the guards and soon arrived at the courtyard.

To their surprise, the only guard there was sitting leisurely with one leg crossed, leaning against the fountain as he puffed on a pipe. Even as the trio approached him, he didn’t bat an eyelid.

“I don’t know,” he said. “If I let you through here, it’ll look like I’m not doing my job, right?”

Rei shrugged. “Guess so.”

“I hate to ask you this, but do you think you could go over to the gate and get rid of the dog there?” The guard blew three smoke rings into the air. “See, that way, it’ll look like the dog’s fault and not mine, right?”

With no other choice, the trio nodded and headed down to the main gates, the one Teepo was eyeing when they were outside searching for a way in.

“Man, doesn’t this just beat all?” Rei shook his head in exasperation. “They’re all a bunch of goof-offs!”

“Who cares?” Teepo said. “As long as we get into the house!”

The either side of the stone path was decorated with pots of trees, with their leaves sheared to form strange patterns. A few steps from the courtyard, the huge gate loomed into view.

And below that was a small dog with a high-pitched yap, barking as much as it could in a feeble attempt to intimidate them.

Teepo laughed. “Haha! This is a guard dog? It doesn’t seem right, picking on a little dog like this!”

His older companion shrugged. “Would you say the same thing if he’s bitten your butt while you were climbing over the wall?”

He turned red. “S-shut up!”

Ryu stifled a laugh.

“Anyways, let’s finish this quickly.” His hand glowing, Rei gave a yell, “Jolt!”

A rush of thunderbolts crashed onto the dog, instantly ending its barrage of yaps. With a high yelp, it keeled over, stunned.

Ryu stared at him in amazement. “Wow, I didn’t know you can use magic too, Rei!”

The half-tiger grinned. “Great, huh? Still…” He rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t really use it all that much. I mean, why go through all the trouble when you can just run forward and punch them in the face?”

Teepo grinned proudly. “That’s why I’M the mage!”

The younger boy understood. From the battles so far, he could see that Rei did most of the melee attacks to draw the opponent’s attention, and Teepo, standing at the back forgotten, would finish up with magic. Filled with awe, Ryu hoped that one day, he would be just as useful, rather than being just a healer.

With the dog unconscious, the smoking guard let them through easily, thanking them for getting rid of “that pesky dog”. Past the courtyard was a garden filled with more tall hedges, and as they passed by a particular set of hedges, they heard a voice from the other side.

“M-M-Mina…” a male voice stammered. “W-w-would you like to s-s-spend some time with m-me?”

“Oh…” The girl’s shy voice paused. “I-I don’t know…”

Rei raised an eyebrow. “Someone’s playing hooky.”

“Hey, guys,” Ryu called, apparently not listening. “Do you see some sort of a wooden hut over there?”

He gazed at the direction he pointed and nodded. “Yeah, it seems kind of weird to have a hut here… let’s go check it out.”

There was only one lone guard standing at the entrance of the hut, though one look at him would tell others that he wasn’t paying too much attention to his surroundings. He sighed heavily, staring into space.

“I wonder what Mina’s doing now…” he muttered to himself, but audible enough for the three to hear, and he sighed again. “My dearest Mina…”

“Isn’t this Mina the girl we saw earlier?” Teepo’s eyes lit up with an idea. “Say… if we tell him about it, think he’ll rush off to find her?”

Rei nodded. “Give it a shot, chances are he won’t even notice you.”

He grinned and strode casually towards the lone guard. “Hey, pal, thinking about Mina?”

The guard sighed yet again. “Yeah, I miss her so much when I have to be on guard duty… I wonder what she’s doing now…”

“You know, I saw Mina with another guy at that corner earlier…” He paused, waiting to see what effect his words would have.

The effect was immediate – the guard jumped a foot into the air in shock and exclaimed loudly, “WHAT?!! Mina’s here with ANOTHER MAN?! That’s terrible! I can’t believe it!! OH MY MINAAAAAAA!!!”

Immediately, the guard ran as fast as he could towards where Mina and the other man was, leaving his post unguarded. Teepo, grinning widely at the success, gave a thumbs-up at his companions. They returned the gesture and all three of them entered the hut, hoping to find out why it was there.

…only to find out that it was a chicken coop.

Ryu blinked. “Wow, the mayor keeps chickens?”

The young man nodded. “Oh yeah, I forgot about it. He keeps prized chickens for chicken fights… takes better care of them than he does the villagers, too.”

Teepo didn’t seem to think of this as much of an achievement, for he walked to some of the nests and grumbled. “Well, since we can’t get in the house ‘cause of all the guards…” He swiped some eggs from the nests. “Why don’t we steal some eggs and just go home already!”

Rei hesitated. “Uh… aren’t you setting your sight a little low there, Teepo?”

“What?” He looked up and his eyes widened. “WHOA!!” He sped hurriedly back to the other two.

Just in time too, for a giant rooster, as tall as even Rei himself, jumped from the top floor of the coop and landed right where Teepo was just standing before, causing a slight tremor in the wooden floor. It was truly a magnificent chicken, for its feathers seemed to gleam in the lantern that lit the coop, and around its neck was a golden plate on a chain that said, “Rocky.”

Teepo shivered a little. “M-maybe I should put the eggs back?”

Ryu shook his head doubtfully. “I don’t think that’ll make it any happier…”

Rei quickly drew out his knives. “And I don’t think it’s going to go easy on us too!”

He lunged forward and stuck Rocky as the other two readied for battle. Teepo, as usual, prepared his spell, while Ryu tried to help with the offensive too. Constant training during the past three months had greatly increased his battle skills, though he still missed.

Rocky, angry at them for stealing the eggs, charged at Rei and lashed out with its beak, trying to peck him to bits. He had no trouble evading all the pecks and managed to counter attack at the same time, and with Ryu assisting him, landing an attack was not an issue.

“Simoon!” Teepo cried as he swung his glowing hand forward and a burst of fire expanded from the rooster like a sphere.

Rocky strongly disliked the fire and crowed loudly, lashing at Ryu this time. The young boy couldn’t dodge the beak as well as his half-tiger friend could and was pecked several times, each time more painful than the last.

Rei rushed forward and struck the rooster’s head, forcing it back. “Ryu, keep it occupied for a moment!”

The younger boy nodded and readied his sword. “I’ll try!”

He then jumped back and landed next to their spell caster. “Teepo! It doesn’t seem to like being fried, so get ready to throw another Simoon when I tell you to!”

Teepo grinned. “Got it!”

With a yell, Ryu ran at the rooster and stabbed it repeatedly, trying to get its attention on him instead of his companions. However, he didn’t have the half-tiger’s agility, and more often than not, he found himself falling onto the floor in his haste to avoid the painful beak.

“Teepo, now!” Rei suddenly cried, raising a shining dagger-wielding hand forward. “Jolt!!”

A rush of thunderbolts stuck Rocky at extreme speed, stunning it.

“Simoon!!” Teepo yelled, and there was another explosion of fire.

Rocky gave a loud cry, seeming unbalanced for a moment, but remained standing.

“One more time, Teepo!” Rei focused hard, and re-casted the spell. “JOLT!!”

“Right!” His companion nodded and released the spell that he was charging a second time. SIMOON!!”

With the two spells continually burning the rooster, it proved too much for it to endure. It gave a loud, mournful crow, swayed left and right, and then finally fell to its side, unmoving.

“Whoa…” Ryu muttered in awe.

“That was easy!” Teepo remarked.

“Yeah, that wasn’t too bad,” Rei agreed.

Suddenly, all the chickens in the coop started clucking and crowing madly, once they realised that the giant rooster was down and unconscious. All of them ran up and down in a mad frenzy, and some even ran between the trio’s legs and all the way outside.

“Whoa!” Rei yelled.

Teepo jumped out of the way of a particularly violent chicken. “Yeow! What’s with the chickens?!”

Ryu shook his head. “I don’t know!”

Within a few seconds, all the chickens had already ran outside, and it seemed that everyone else had reacted just as badly to the chickens as the three of them did, maybe even worse.

“Whoa! What’s happening?!” a guard shouted over the frenzied clucks of the chickens.

“Eeeeeek!!” Mina’s shriek carried all across the garden.

“The chickens! They’re escaping!!” a man cried. “Rocky’s been acting up again!!”

“Close the gates! CLOSE THE GATES!!” a deep voice bellowed. “Everyone after the chickens!!”

And there was a big commotion all over McNeil’s garden.

“Boy, that worked even better than we hoped for!” Teepo grinned as the three exited the chicken coop. “We should be able to sneak in real easy now!”

Rei grinned as well. “Heh, what a mess!”

Even Ryu could not suppress a smile at the sight of all the commotion; it was pretty funny to watch all the guards going after the chickens in a chaotic chase.

The trio quickly navigated their way through the garden and past the courtyard, then took a staircase up to the stone platform. However, just as they reached the top of the staircase, Rei abruptly stopped, forcing the other two to bump into him.

“Shh! Someone’s there!” he whispered.

As they flattened themselves against the wall, they took a quick glance at the main door of the manor. The security was tight up here, for there were more than six guards stationed.

Teepo shook his head. “What should we do, Rei?”

The young man edged closer to the front door and signalled to the boys to follow. “They’re all guarding the front door…”

“Should we give up…?” Ryu asked hopefully.

“No…” Rei glanced at the guards again. “I’ll act as a decoy, and while they’re after me, you two sneak in.” He gestured upwards. “I’ll climb up to the roof and meet you there, okay?”

The two boys nodded.

Rei strode casually out, past the guards to attract their attention. At their flabbergasted expressions, he grinned and pulled out his daggers, waved them in their faces and dashed in the opposite direction.

One of the guards swore, and the whole group chased after him.

Ryu stared incredulously.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be okay, Rei’s really good at running…” Teepo grinned. “Let’s go, Ryu!”

“R-right behind you!”

With that, the two of them sprinted to the main doors of the manor, unseen, and stepped inside.

Meanwhile, the golden-haired man had already reached the end of the stone platform and found himself cornered. He sheathed his daggers, not planning to fight or even hurt the guards.

“We’ve got you now, thief!” one of the guards yelled.

“Then try getting me now!” Rei cried, and with the agility and skill of a tiger, he leaped high into the air, over their heads and down the stairs, hoping to lose the guards as soon as possible.

 

* * *

 

“The cogs of Time are turning, the stars of Fate are shifting…”

A young woman smiled – a small, sweet smile on her beautiful face – as she watched the mirror that showed several figures. The mirror shone like the stars, but however, it was not the only thing that did. Her pair of wings, with feathers of ever-changing colour, glowed as well, illuminating the room partially.

“What obstacle lies in the path of the Destined One?” she continued, running a finger lightly along the smooth surface of the mirror as she watched. “What lies in the fate of the Prince of the Brood?”

“I am afraid I know not, milady,” a deep voice came from the shadows, his features shrouded by the darkness.

“Oh, don’t be so stiff, Guardian.” She turned to face him, her long golden hair dancing lightly, still smiling sweetly. “Stand up, and relax!”

“As you wish.” There was the sound of slight movements, indicating that the Guardian had obeyed.

She thought for a moment, a finger on her cheek. “Now then… how do you think we should help him a little?”

There was a slight pause as the Guardian hesitated. “Milady, why assist an enemy of ours?”

She giggled, as though she found it funny. “Well, sometimes we should have some fun in our life, Guardian.” She gazed at him. “How long have you been working for me? Three hundred years? Four?”

He bowed. “Four hundred and eighty-one years, milady.”

“Ah, that’s right.” She smiled again. “You should go with them, have some fun. It’s time you relax a bit.”

“It is my task to rid the world of impurities at your command, milady, nothing more.” He shook his head slowly. “…but I will obey.”

“Good boy!” She waved him off. “It’s time to go, Guardian, otherwise you’ll be too late to meet him, and that won’t be a good idea, would it?”

The Guardian bowed again. “As you wish.” With that, he slowly backed towards a door, turned, and left.

Just as he passed a dim lamp outside the room, there was a fleeting sight of a brown bat-like wing, before he disappeared into the darkness once more.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last scene at the end of this chapter was some sort of an Easter egg (even though Easter has long gone). Dramatic, eh? xP


	6. Four: Curse of the McNeils

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Four: Curse of the McNeils**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

“ _What? Thieves in the manor?”_

The voice echoed hauntingly through the large red-carpeted room, yet there were no one in the room. It was a hall that was once used for events, its floor polished, but now it remained empty, except for the eerie portraits that hung on the walls.

“ _Unfortunately…”_ another voice, one that was different from the first, hissed. _“They must have a death wish.”_

“ _Let me at them!”_ a third voice yelled gallantly. _“I shall show them what the McNeils are made of!”_

“ _Hm… yes, we should teach these rogues a lesson, since they managed to sneak past all those guards,”_ yet another voice, a hoarse one this time, stated. _“All right, we shall do that. Perhaps you would like to have the first go, Torast.”_

“ _Ooh, yes! Of course!”_ the gallant voice shouted. _“I’ll beat them to a pulp!”_

There was a soft sigh. _“Torast, please do remember that despite being in this form, we are definitely not invincible.”_

“ _I suppose that’s the drawback, that we have to materialise in order to hurt victims and they in turn can reduce our transformation energy by hitting us…”_ The speaker stopped, as though to shake his head.

Yet another voice laughed lightly, amused. _“And whoever heard of spirits being defeated by mere mortals?”_

“ _Enough,”_ a new voice spoke, a firm and calm voice. _“Now, Torast, if you may.”_

“ _All right!”_ Torast said. _“I shall show them!”_

 

* * *

 

It didn’t take the boys long to realise that the interior of this manor was much larger than they had thought it would be. A huge staircase led upstairs from the red-carpeted entrance hall, decorative suits of armour stood silently at the sides, and there were several doors leading to other rooms and halls. The chandeliers on the ceiling were so numerous that they dazzled Ryu for a while, so bright that it was as though he was staring right at the sun.

The first door they tried on the right led to a huge room covered in rich red carpet, which appeared to be some sort of an art gallery as its walls were decorated with large portraits of men and nothing else. Each of these portraits had either the same brown hair or silvery ones, but each of their expressions was blank as they stared coldly forward. Somehow Ryu could feel a light yet freezing cold gust in the room, sending a shiver up his back.

Apparently his companion had felt it as well, for he asked, “Ryu… don’t you think this room is creepy? I feel like I’m being watched…”

Ryu nodded – he, too, had the same feeling as well. But yet there were no guards around in sight…

“I’ve got a funny feeling, but I hope it’s just us…” Teepo shivered. “L-let’s just get out of here.”

“Y-yeah…”

Back in the main hall, they decided to go up the giant staircase. However, the moment they placed one foot onto the first step, a strong unknown force threw them back, as though a large sledgehammer was slammed into them.

Teepo was up on his feet instantly. “Hey, what hit us?!”

A loud, haunting, hollow cackle echoed through the entrance hall as the surrounding suddenly grew dark, sending yet another shiver up Ryu’s back. A figure then materialised before the two boys, first the silhouette, followed by a bright silver colour, then the features formed.

It was a dazzling suit of silver armour, with one gauntlet wielding a large broadsword.

“ _Halt, you scurvy cur!”_ the person within cried loudly, in the same hollow voice as the cackle before. _“I, Torast, the fifth McNeil, shall put you out of your misery!”_

“Who says we’re miserable, you smelly old bat?!” Teepo shouted back in an equally loud voice, kicking the air before him arrogantly. “You looking for a fight?! Hah! Bring it on!”

“ _You are as uncouth as they say!”_

Without warning, Torast charged towards them, who scrambled out of the way just as he swung the broadsword right at them. Ryu gave a cry as he lunged, swinging his weapon wildly, but the blade merely bounced off the metal armour with a loud clang. His eyes widened, he quickly jumped back just as Torast’s broadsword whooshed right in front of him.

“ _Stand up and fight, you coward!”_ the armoured person yelled as he swung the blade heavily at him again.

Ryu quickly dodge again, wondering how to strike a full suit of armour… at which spot would his own short sword be able to hit?

“Iceblast!” Teepo yelled from the back, swinging his glowing hand as he unleashed a spell that his companion had never seen before.

Their opponent was abruptly encased in a mountain of ice, which then shattered in a burst of light as though it was glass smashed by a hammer. Torast gave a great haunting scream as the silver armour turned a dull brown, as though it was rusting at an alarming rate, and then all at once, the suit of armour faded away. In its place was a small blue flame, floating in midair like the burning wick of an invisible candle, while the surroundings gradually returned to its original state of brightness.

“W-what?” Ryu said in surprise as he stared.

“ _Alas! I have dishonoured you, my brethren!”_ The hollow voice then hissed. _“But I shall be back!!”_

The little blue flame quickly floated away in the opposite direction, disappearing through a door.

“…was that a ghost?” Teepo wondered aloud, then shivered lightly. “I really hope not, I hate ghosts…”

“Still, all it took was one hit from your spell.” Ryu shook his head. “I never thought ghosts are that easy to fight…”

“Me neither…”

Both of them climbed the large staircase, the red carpet eventually turning into blue and green tiles. Strangely, most of the doors in the hall they arrived in were completely nailed shut… perhaps the owner was paranoid when it comes to burglars?

Finding their way past the numerous spare bedrooms and boarded-up doors, they soon exited to a huge balcony, the blue tiles stretching as far as eyes could see.

Teepo stopped. “Hey, there’s someone here…”

Sure enough, a figure was there waiting for them. It was an overweighed man, dressed in a large red suit that was somehow able to cover his large belly, complete with a long-sleeved top with frilly edges. Deep brown hair, tied in a long plait, framed his deceptive-looking face and a thin, curly moustache spouted from either side.

“Ah! Welcome, welcome!” he greeted as he extended a hand towards them, seemingly excited to have visitors even if they were two thieves. “I trust that you enjoyed your trip through my guards in the garden?” Without waiting for a reply, he laughed heartily as though he had uttered a great joke. “Well, as you might already know, I’m McNeil, the owner of the house.”

“Oh, really? Well, that makes it simple then…” Teepo pointed a finger at him. “You’re the villain we’ve been looking for!”

He laughed once more. “Oho ho ho! Me? A villain?” He wagged a finger at them. “Oh, no no no no, you seem to have misunderstood… how am I a villain for collecting taxes from the people?”

Ryu felt as though there was something strange about this man, something that sent a chill up his spine. He couldn’t quite understand it… until he saw the strange, cold flicker in McNeil’s eyes.

“Teepo!” he cried, drawing his sword. “He’s an impostor!”

“What?! An impostor?!” His companion was immediately on guard, pulling his rapier out as well.

The fat man cackled loudly, a booming, haunting cackle that was similar to Torast’s. His form beginning to change, he spoke in a dangerously soft voice, _“Oh, no, I’m certainly a McNeil…”_

As with before, the room turned dark, and in an instant, the man was no longer there. Now, the young boys were face to face with the strangest thing they had ever seen – it had the head of a clown, with thick white and red paint and a large constant grin on his face, a black jester hat with bells at its ends, a long black cloak that swept the ground and two pure white gloves, both holding a gigantic dark scythe… but this person’s body could not be seen at all, as though it was invisible, and the head, cloak and gloves floated mysteriously in mid-air.

“ _I am Kassen, the spirit of the third McNeil!”_ the clown cried, swinging the sharp scythe at them.

His opponents jumped out of the way to evade, both in the opposite direction, and Ryu tried to strike at the billowing cloak. To his horror, his blade hit nothing but air and the cloak. The scythe gleamed above him.

Kassen cackled once more. _“Why aren’t you using your eyes, boy?!”_

The younger boy inhaled sharply as the scythe fell towards him and hurriedly scrambled out of the way, just as the curved blade struck the floor. He gripped his sword, his heart racing with fear.

“Simoon!!” Teepo shouted.

An explosion of fire expanded, causing Kassen to scream loudly, then the cloak and gloves began to burn. The flames kept moving upward, burning the painted clown’s face, and finally a small azure flame remained. Just like Torast.

“ _Oh, it seems I was beaten as well…”_ Strangely Kassen’s voice did not sound upset, but rather amused, as he floated away almost casually.

Ryu blinked. “Wow, Teepo, your spells are powerful, only one of them does it…”

“Ah, well, they’re just really weak…” Teepo shook his head. “Still, no one told us this place’s haunted!”

He shrugged. “Do you think anyone would believe it just because someone says so?”

“Uh… no, I guess not.” He turned towards the other boy, seemingly puzzled. “But hey, Ryu, how come you’re such a scaredy-cat, but you’re not afraid of ghosts?”

“…Teepo, that’s an insult.”

 

* * *

 

Rei jumped from one part of the roof to the other, moving along the red tiles quickly. It was rather hard to see in the darkness of the night, despite the fact that the moon was out, but his tiger eyes could see in the dark, or at least well enough to see where he was going.

He slowed down to a stop, his eyes searching, and then sighed.

“Geez, those two are really late.” He scratched his head uncertainly. “And I just had to lose that rope of mine… doesn’t this really beat all?”

A squeaking noise came from behind him, prompting him to turn around. It was the biggest rat he had ever seen, running along the flat surface of the dry gutter at the edge of the roof. Rats were to be expected in a house or its roof, but what caught his attention was the coil of grappling hook in the rat’s mouth.

“H-hey!” he exclaimed. “That’s my rope!!”

The rat, having heard his voice, squeaked in surprise and sped off quickly. In response, the half-tiger chased after it, his daggers instantly out of their sheaths.

“Sheesh, doesn’t this just beat all?”

And thus began a long wild goose chase around the roof.

 

* * *

 

“ _Both of you there! Freeze! Halt! Stop!”_

“…okay, this is beginning to get annoying,” Teepo commented, shrugging.

Ryu nodded as they turned from the staircase they had decided to descend, facing at what would be another McNeil.

Like before, the area around them grew dark as a light, freezing cold gust blew, but unlike before, this time there were _two_ figures materialising before them. Both had exactly the same features – height, shape, look – and they were dressed in dark clothes made for speed, with a veil and a hood that covered their whole head. There was a gap in the cloth on their face where their eyes were, but the eyes were only two glowing spots within darkness, as though they were just shadows…

“ _I am Galtel!”_ one of them cried in a hard voice. _“The twelfth McNeil!”_

The other, however, seemed to be the quieter one. _“…Doksen.”_

This seemed to set Galtel off, for then he turned towards the other. _“Geez, great-grandpa! Be a little more enthusiastic, willya?!”_

Doksen didn’t reply.

He gave an exasperated sigh. _“Fine! Ignore me as usual!”_

Ryu shook his head. “They aren’t a happy bunch, are they?”

Galtel swung one arm dramatically. _“I am Galtel, the twelfth McNeil, and this is Doksen, the eighth!”_

The older boy shrugged. “So what?”

He growled. _“What do you mean by ‘so what’?!!”_

“Well, it’s not like we really care who you are…” Teepo pulled out his sword, grinning. “All we have to do is to beat you up, right?”

“ _Grr… you… you…!!”_ He turned to his ancestor. _“C’mon, great-grandpa! Let’s show them!”_

Doksen simply nodded.

The two ninjas suddenly started moving around in a circle with such a speed that a huge gale stormed in the small room, forcing the boys back. It was clear that these two were stronger than the first McNeils they had fought earlier, and more dangerous too…

“ _Hah! How’d you like that?!”_ Galtel shouted.

There was no reply.

An evil grin spread on his face beneath the veil; it seemed that his two opponents were nothing like that Torast and Kassen had said.

The ninjas stopped moving, letting the wind die down on its own, and started looking around for the bodies of the two boys.

It took them only a minute to realise that they were not in the room at all.

“ _What? Where are they?!”_ Galtel searched under the table and inside the cupboard, determined that they were somewhere nearby, but his attempt was futile.

Suddenly the door, which he didn’t realise was closed, slammed open with a bang as Ryu barged in from outside. Behind him was Teepo, his left hand holding a sphere of light as he grinned.

“Eat this!” he shouted. “Iceblast!”

Both ninjas were caught off guard as a huge mountain of ice formed around Doksen, who gave a hoarse scream when it shattered in a great burst of light. When the spell ended, all that was left of the eighth McNeil was a small blue flame floating in midair.

Galtel’s eyes widened in shock. _“Great-grandpa!!”_

Doksen said nothing as he floated away casually, as though a ghost being defeated by a mortal was a normal everyday activity.

The remaining McNeil’s eyes flared as he turned towards the opponents, and then widened once again for the second time as Teepo threw a Simoon spell right at him. After an explosion, a scream and the transformation of the McNeil into a floating blue flame, Teepo smirked.

“You guys talk too much… why waste so much time?” he asked.

“ _You… you’ll pay for this!”_ Galtel cried and fled quickly after Doksen. However, he had misjudged the position of the door and hit first the wall, then the table. He cursed loudly before managing to escape through the door.

The older boy shook his head as he sheathed his sword. “You know, Ryu, I always thought that ghosts are creepy…” He grinned again. “But if they’re all this ridiculous, then there’s nothing to worry about!”

Ryu gave a nod. “Yeah, they aren’t really that scary at all, are they?”

“Nope! In fact, they’re really quite comical!”

They continued their search a way to the rooftop and after climbing two staircases and a ladder, they finally arrived at their destination. Ryu was greeted by a cool gust of wind as he reached the top of the ladder, the owls hooting loudly to each other, the crickets chirping loudly.

They were on one slanted side of the large, wide roof, with a small part of it raised at the ladder. It seemed that McNeil’s mansion was separated into two blocks, for there was another wide roof a little ways from the one they were on.

“Hey, we made it!” Teepo remarked as he climbed onto the roof.

His companion glanced around. “Yeah, though I wonder if Rei got away okay…”

“Ah, he’ll be fine, he’s pretty good at running away… hey!!” he exclaimed loudly, making Ryu jump. “Look on the other roof!”

Ryu complied. The other roof was almost exactly the same as the one he was standing on, except it was slanted the other way, but to his surprise, smoke was coming out from a chimney on the other side.

“There’s smoke coming from that chimney!” Teepo continued. “There must be where McNeil is!”

“I think so too! But…” Ryu shook his head. “How’re we going to get over there? We can’t jump that far…”

“Ryu! Teepo!” a familiar voice called out from behind.

“Rei!” the older boy cried, turning.

Sure enough, it was the half-tiger, one hand holding a grappling hook. He leaped from a high roof and landed in front of them, startling Ryu.

“Looks like everything went according to plan,” he observed. “How was it inside? Any trouble?”

Teepo nodded. “You bet there was trouble!! We had to fight ghosts!”

“Ghosts? Wow, I didn’t expect that…” He scratched the back of his head. “How did you two manage to get past them?”

The other boy shook his head. “They weren’t really that hard… they fall with just one hit of Teepo’s spell.”

“Heh! They’re pushovers!” Teepo boasted.

Rei grinned. “Well, if there are anymore of those ghosts, it’s your call!”

“You bet!”

“But say, Rei…” Ryu paused for a moment. “How do we get on the other side? We think McNeil’s there…”

“Way ahead of you there, Ryu,” the young stated, holding up the hook end of the grappling hook above his head and swinging it in a circle, preparing to throw it. “With this, we’ll get there no problem! YAH!!”

He gave a loud cry as he tossed rope, but in his over-enthusiasm, his foot slipped on some wet moss. He sped uncontrollably all the way down the slope, out of control, and after he reached the bottom of the roof, he did world record-breaking leap!

“WAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”

And he landed neatly on the other roof, just barely inches away from the edge.

Breathing hard from the shock, it took him a while to realise what just happened. Once he calmed down, he scratched the back of his head uncertainly.

“…um… well, I’ll just act like I did it on purpose… yeah, that’s it…”

He turned around, his hand still holding onto the grappling hook, and he spun it above his head. This time he threw it properly, and the hook caught itself at the edge of the other roof, creating a makeshift bridge between the two roofs.

As he tied the rope properly on a nearby pole, Teepo did the same on the other side, and once the rope was firm and secure, he walked across the rope casually as though it was a proper bridge. Ryu, on the other hand, hesitated at one end of the rope, trembling when he saw how high the rope was from the ground below.

“I… don’t think I can do it…” he muttered.

“C’mon, Ryu!” Teepo cried from his side. “You can do it!”

He nodded, gulping, and slowly put a foot onto the rope to see if it would hold his weight. Slowly but surely, he moved across the rope, and it was a long time before he finally arrived at the other side.

“Great, we made it!” Teepo stated, grinning.

Rei nodded. “Right, all’s left is McNeil now!”

“Yep! C’mon, let’s go!”

Ryu shook his head – he had started having the bad feeling again, the same one that came when they spoke to Loki earlier… but now that they had come this far, he could not ask them to stop now.

Sighing, he followed the other two down a staircase leading into the manor.

 

* * *

 

Galtel hit the wall with a fist. _“Damn it! Both great-grandpa and I were defeated too!”_

Doksen merely nodded.

He shook his head. _“There’s must be some way to finish them…”_

“ _I say we beat them to a pulp!”_ Torast’s gallant voice cried. _“Make them cower in fear!”_

Kassen waved his finger, the grin still on his clownish face. _“Torast, Torast… have you forgotten? You were the first to fall, after all.”_

Galtel sighed. _“All four of us, the ones who could materialise alone, fell… that spellcaster kid and his companion were much stronger than we thought. I guess our only hope is the living McNeil, the thirteenth … but I really don’t think he’s up to it.”_

“ _Ah, yes, he is certainly rather incompetent…”_ a new voice spoke, a rasping one.

The four of the materialised spirits turned to look at the largest painting on the wall, one of an old man with a stern look, a partly balding head and a long silver beard.

Kassen seemed amused. _“You don’t seem too upset about it, Grandfather Kanzei.”_

“ _I must say I am certainly rather upset,”_ the same rasping voice stated. _“However, we still have our trump card…”_

“ _Then we can give them the punishment they deserve!!”_ Torast yelled, punching a gauntlet above his head.

Galtel shook his head. _“Oh, shut up.”_

 

* * *

 

The moment Ryu, Rei and Teepo entered a huge, luxurious bedroom, they heard a woman’s scream.

“W-what?!” Ryu exclaimed.

Further into the bedroom, there was a large four-poster bed, and in front of it was McNeil – looking exactly like how Kassen did as an impostor, with long brown hair tied in a plait and a deceptive look on him – and a beautiful blond woman in a tight-fitting purple dress.

As McNeil wormed a hand around her waist, the woman giggled and cried, “Oh my! What are you doing, Mr. McNeil?”

The mayor had a devilish grin on his face. “Just having some fun…”

She giggled once again and pulled away, prompting him to chase her.

“Come here, you vixen! Heh heh!” he said as he chased her around playfully, though disgusting to the trio watching them.

Rei shook his head. “Oh, brother… doesn’t this just beat all?”

Both McNeil and the woman heard him and immediately spun around, just in time to see one half-tiger man and two boys approaching them.

“W… w…” McNeil gulped, shivering madly in fear. “W-who’re you?!”

“Who cares who we are?” Teepo pointed a finger at the mayor. “We’ve come to take back all the money you’ve stolen!”

Rei and Teepo pulled out their weapons, though Ryu complied rather reluctantly.

Upon hearing this, McNeil ran behind the woman, using her as a shield, and she shrieked.

“I don’t have anything to do with this! Leave me out!” With that she fled out of the room, her long blond hair flowing behind her.

The mayor fell onto his bottom and gulped again, looking even more scared now. “W-w-what do you mean t-take back? I-I just… I just…”

Rei shook his head. “Oh, come on now, Mr. McNeil, you’ve been cheating the villagers out of their money… just so that you can have your ‘fun’, haven’t you?”

He backed away, still in a seated position, but he could not retreated further as his back touched the foot of his bed. “N-n-no, I h-haven’t… you m-must be m-mistaken…”

Suddenly, there was a tremor in the room as the surrounding area grew dark, similar to what happened when the ghosts appeared before. Eleven blue flames appeared in a circle, followed by one more in the centre, and then a loud hollow voice spoke.

“ _Enough! You are a disgrace to the McNeils, Horen…”_

McNeil stared wide-eyed at the flames, and then whimpered.

Ryu shook his head, he hadn’t thought that there may be more ghosts than they had fought…

“That’s them, Rei!” Teepo exclaimed. “Those are the ghosts! We only fought four of them, not that many… but those are the ghosts of the old McNeils!”

“ _Let me at them!”_ Torast’s gallant voice cried. _“I’ll teach them a lesson!”_

“ _Shut up, great-great-great-great-grandpa!”_ Galtel’s irritated voice shouted.

“ _Oh, but he’s partly right,”_ Kassen’s amused voice stated. _“We do need to teach them a lesson. Don’t we, Grandfather Kanzei?”_

“ _Yes, we definitely do,”_ an unfamiliar voice, a rasping one, spoke. _“I am the first of the McNeils… I shall not let all my hard work to go waste.”_

“ _Of course, of course, Grandfather,”_ Kassen agreed.

“ _Let’s do it now, my ancestors!”_ Galtel shouted.

The area grew even darker as the eleven blue flames approached the centre one, disappearing into it, and suddenly, there was a great burst of light. When the light dimmed, however, the blue flames were no longer there.

In its place was the form of a huge spirit!

This spirit had a round head, its waist attached to smaller forms of spirits. Its eyes were dark and hollow, like the creepy eyes of a skeleton.

“ _You may have defeated us while we were separated… but now, let’s see if you withstand Amalgam’s wrath!!”_ It gave a huge hoarse roar, as though he was sounding a battle cry.

Teepo was the first to strike. “Simoon!!”

However, even as there was an explosion of fire, Amalgam stood still and laughed hoarsely.

“ _You fool! Do you think that we are the same as we are separated?!”_ it roared, sending an invisible force that threw the trio off their feet. _“Your pathetic spell won’t even faze us!”_

“Damn!” Rei cursed, flipping back onto his feet. “Isn’t there any way to defeat this thing?!”

“We’ll just have to keep throwing spells at them!” Teepo yelled. “Iceblast!!”

Ryu stayed silent as a mountain of ice formed around Amalgam, searching his mind frantically for a way to defeat this giant ghost… and an answer came to him. A little voice in his mind kept telling him to cast a healing spell, telling him to use it on the enemy... his intuition had work once before, so why not?

He focused, keeping an eye out on the enemy, his blade beginning to glow brightly. Then, he stabbed the air above him and cast it, but it wasn’t the spell that he was familiar with.

“Rejuvenate!” he cried.

Unlike Heal, Rejuvenate was much brighter and there were much more sparkles. Even as Amalgam began glowing, he screamed out loud, his hoarse voice echoing off the walls.

Ryu blinked. “It actually worked?”

“Wow, I didn’t expect that!” Teepo grinned. “It’s going to make it easier now! Keep doing it, Ryu!”

He nodded and complied, charging yet another spell, but unfortunately for him, Amalgam decided not to let him repeat it and threw him onto his back with an invisible force.

“Teepo!” Rei shouted. “Keep throwing spells at it!”

“What? But it doesn’t work!” his companion argued.

“Just do it!”

“Okay, okay!”

When Teepo cast more spells at the ghost, Amalgam kept laughing hoarsely. This allowed Ryu to cast another Rejuvenate spell, and yet another while Amalgam flinched horribly.

Rei twirled his daggers once. “One more should do it, Ryu!!”

Ryu nodded quickly, determined to finish the battle. “REJUVENATE!!”

That was the final spell needed, for Amalgam let out another hoarse scream, so loud that everyone in the room had to cover their ears, and he warped away in a great pillar of light.

“That was great, Ryu!” Teepo exclaimed, sheathing his sword and slapping Ryu’s back.

His blue-haired companion turned red as he kept his weapon. “No, it’s really nothing… I was lucky a healing spell hurts it.”

“ _We_ were lucky, you mean,” Rei corrected, stashing away his daggers. “But we still have something to do…”

As though suddenly realising it, the boys turned towards McNeil, who was still sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed. He was still shivering terribly in fear.

“W-w-w-w-what was THAT?!” he exclaimed loudly. “W-w-what’s going on?! I-I-I-I-I was just… I n-never did…”

The half-tiger shook his head. “Take it easy, old man, those were your ancestors…” Thinking that this silly mayor would never believe him, he sighed. “Look, we’re just here to take your money, okay?”

McNeil whimpered, but did not move.

Teepo frowned and crossed his arms. “You’re pretty dumb, are you?” He drew out his rapier once again and pointed the sharp end at McNeil’s throat. “Hurry up and show us where the money is!”

Ryu shook his head. “Teepo, you’re going a little too far…”

The mayor whimpered even more. “T-the m-m-money’s at the b-back…” Still shaking, he tried to back away again. “P-p-p-please don’t k-k-kill me… oh, p-p-p-please…”

“No, we promise we won’t touch you,” Rei said as he nodded at Teepo.

As his companions went to the back to get the money, Ryu stayed behind, feeling sorry for this man… even though he had wrongfully overcharged the villagers for tax, what right did the trio have to steal it back from him?

“Hey, Ryu! Take a look at all this dough!”

With one last look at McNeil, Ryu followed the other two.

The moment the mayor was left alone in the room, the woman he was accompanying earlier came running back in, scowling at him.

“Huh, you’re a wimp!” she stated, tossing her hair lightly. “Those robbers were much manlier than you are!” She shook her head. “Wait until I tell all everyone about it, then we won’t be working for you anymore!”

With that, she left with a huff.

McNeil remained stunned for a while, and then started laughing weakly. “Aha ha ha…” And then he started sobbing like a child, throwing his arms about as though he was in a tantrum. “Just you wait, we’ll see who has the last laugh, you little brats…” He looked up determinedly albeit the fact that his face was red. “I’ll show you who’s got the real power here!!”

 

* * *

 

“There, that’s the last one,” Rei stated as he put the bag full of coins at the doorstep of a house.

“That was a lot of fun, wasn’t it, Rei?” Teepo grinned from ear to ear as the trio started exiting McNeil village. “That McNeil looked so silly!”

Ryu said nothing. Now that everything was over, his guilt had started to return again… and there was still that terrible feeling that something bad would happen.

“There’s no one who can beat us!” Teepo went on boasting. “We’re the best!!”

The young man shook his head. “I don’t know if I’d go that far…” Then he grinned. “But I’d say things went pretty well last night, eh?”

“I can’t wait to see the looks on the people’s faces when they see what we’ve done!!”

“Yep, even they’ll start treating us with respect now!”

“You bet they will!” The long-haired boy puffed out his chest. “We haven’t stolen anything lately, and we got rid of that Nue! Let’s go down to the village tomorrow!”

Ryu continued staying silent through their one-hour trek back to their cabin in Cedar Woods, even after they had arrive at their home and went straight to bed.

_I really hope nothing bad’s going to happen…_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, the ghosts aren’t supposed to be having these humanoid figures, but I thought this is interesting than just the appearance of the Pacman ghosts, and especially when they have their own personality. It does have a personalised feel to it, doesn’t it? xP
> 
> The current living McNeil’s name that I put here (which is Horen) and the first McNeil’s name (which was Kanzei) were random names I put there for the heck of it. Otherwise it gets confusing calling them McNeil since the ghosts are also McNeils. O_o


	7. Five: The Power to Survive

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Five: The Power to Survive**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

_Ryu stared at the lifeless eyes on the head of the fossilised Dragon, an overwhelming feeling of remorse, despair and loneliness washing over him._

“ _Why? Why won’t anyone answer?”_

_But what came from his mouth was not the voice of a human, but a high yelp of a creature._

“ _Why…?” he whimpered, tears threatening to fall._

_The fossilised Dragon said nothing, merely staring back at him with these lifeless eyes. Nothing in the darkness moved, not a sound was heard other than his own whimpering._

_Then, suddenly, voices came from behind him – human voices._

… _angry human voices._

“ _There it is! There’s the monster!”_

“ _Get rid of it! It’ll only destroy us all!”_

“ _KILL IT!!”_

_Ryu spun around, but retreated slowly away from the voices, terrified. He wanted to get away from the shadows of the huge figures that haunted his mind… away from the darkness beyond._

“ _S-stay away from me!” he cried in fear, a high yelp sounding through the darkness._

“ _KILL IT! KILL IT! KILL IT!” the invisible crowd chanted._

_Panic gripped him. “N-no! Stay AWAY!!”_

_Hot, burning energy gathered in his throat, and he threw his head forward, ready to unleash the energy like an exploding valve… then the familiar male voice yelled at him._

“ _NO! DON’T!!”_

_He obeyed immediately without thinking, drawing back, and then realised what he had done. He tried to gather the energy in his throat once again, but it was already too late – the shadows charged at him._

_A single blade appeared before his very eyes as terror glued him to the spot, and there it gleamed, a dazzling light causing everything to turn white…_

_And the blade stabbed him in the heart._

 

* * *

 

Ryu woke up with a start, breathing heavily. His heart racing, beads of perspire covering his face, he could still remember the dream vividly… as though it was real. The hot energy almost felt real.

Ever since he had woken up in this cabin three months ago, alone and confused, he had been together with Rei and Teepo – killing the Nue, hiding in their cabin throughout the winter, and then stealing money from the mayor of the village to give to the villagers. Throughout these months, he had forgotten about searching for his past. He was contented, reassured.

But the dream… it brought back some disturbing memories. Memories of flames, of screams, of terror… they forced him to remember that something had happened to him before he was found in Cedar Woods, that he had to look for his family.

He felt as though there was a great purpose waiting for him. A great responsibility.

But he was happy here; he had friends, companions that accepted him. It didn’t matter who he was before.

Yet, he felt that all of this would soon be taken away from him…

No, he didn’t want to think of it. If any of his memories involved anything similar to the dream he had, he didn’t want to go through it again.

He shut his eyes tightly, and willed the thoughts from his mind.

Despite the tiring trip to McNeil’s mansion, Ryu was unable to return to slumber; he was too agitated from the dream. Getting off the mattress that had become his makeshift bed for the last three months, he stretched his aching limbs and stepped towards the balcony door.

Only then, he realised that Teepo was outside, sitting at the edge of the balcony and staring into the darkness of the forest.

“Teepo?” Ryu called, settling down beside him.

The other boy turned instantly. “Oh, hey, Ryu… couldn’t sleep?”

“Yeah… you too?”

“Sorta.” He turned his gaze back to the dark trees, hesitating. He was strangely forlorn, unlike his usual confident self. “It’s just that I feel bad for some reason…”

Ryu was surprised. “About what?”

He didn’t reply immediately, but continued staring at the trees. “Ryu, if… we ever get separated… we’ll look for each other no matter what, right…?”

He felt concerned. “Teepo, what do you mean?”

“I know I’ll keep on looking for you…” He shook his head. “You’ll keep looking for me too, won’t you…?”

“Of course I would, we’re friends.” The younger boy smiled. “We haven’t known each other all that long, but… you and Rei are my first friends… my… family…”

He smiled as well. “Thanks, I’m really glad to hear that… you’re part of us now. We’ll stick with each other no matter what, right…?”

“Of course…” Gazing into Teepo’s crimson eyes, Ryu suddenly felt his eyes suggested that he was anything but human. There was something in the crimson colour that seemed familiar… as though he had already met him before the first time he woke up here. Just like how he felt when they first saw each other, the day he woke up here.

“Well!” Teepo stood up, grinning. “We definitely did a good job kicking the ghosts’ butts, huh? Let’s go and sleep now, and tomorrow we’ll be hailed as heroes like before!”

Glad that his companion had already recovered his composition, though doubtful that they would be hailed as heroes again, he nodded. “Yeah, we should, it’s getting late.”

As both of them returned to their bedrooms once more, Ryu pondered over the recent event for a moment. Teepo seemed rather different today, did he feel that the peace would not last, too?

_But if we do get separated, I’ll come and look for you… I promise…_

 

* * *

 

To the trio’s surprise – and much to Teepo’s indignation – this time the residents at McNeil Village did not crowd around them like the time when they defeated the Nue. In fact, some of them were even glaring at them with a disgusted expression.

“Ah well, maybe they’re just too busy to come!” Teepo remarked, though he seemed as though he was trying to convince himself rather than the others. “C’mon, let’s go talk to them!”

However, everyone seemed to be avoiding them and scowling when they approached, and those few that spoke did so either angrily or sadly.

“I wake up and there’s money sitting on the porch,” one young woman muttered, shaking her head. “Then one of the mayor’s men comes running from the manor… it was one of your pranks, wasn’t it?”

“Thanks a lot!” the innkeeper cried angrily. “Thanks to you, now Mr. McNeil thinks we’re thieves too!”

“Hey, you punks!!” an old man shouted when they approached. “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing your face around here!!”

“What do you want?” a farmer asked gruffly. “If you mean what I did with the bag of money, I gave it back to the mayor… now get outta here!”

“When I woke up, there was this bag of money in front of the house… I was so surprised!” a woman conversed with her friend.

“Oh, that,” the woman’s friend spoke. “I returned it as soon as I could, I don’t want Mr. McNeil to be angry at me… he’d kick me right out!”

Finally, the trio had heard enough from the villagers and stood at the side of the road, well out of everyone’s way.

“You know…” Rei started. “Somehow I don’t think this is going according to what we think it should.”

Teepo kicked the air angrily. “We did nothing wrong! Why’re they angry at us?!”

Ryu shook his head sadly. “I don’t know…”

“Well, the only thing to do now is to find Loki.” The half-tiger turned towards one direction. “Speaking of which… here he comes.”

Very much to the cloaked man’s surprise, the trio confronted him, and he found that he could not escape from them.

“H-hello, boys,” he stammered, evidently nervous. “N-nice weather, eh?”

“Hey, Loki,” Rei said loudly. “We did just like you said – we got into McNeil’s house and gave the money to everyone–”

“SHHHHHH!!” Loki shushed, jumping a little. “Don’t say that so loudly! People’ll hear you, and if McNeil finds out, he’ll kill me…”

“What’re you so afraid of anyway?” Teepo demanded, even louder than Rei. “You’re the one who said that McNeil was the bad guy!”

“SHHHHHH!!” The cloaked man shook his head. “All right, all right, I’ll talk, just not here!” He glanced at them. “We can talk in the hut, but you go on ahead, okay?”

Silently, the trio nodded and left without saying anything, heading towards the hut.

Teepo began to look as forlorn as he did the night before, as they entered the abandoned hut. “Rei… something’s wrong…”

Rei nodded, seeming a little grave as well. “I know... we’ll get that Loki fellow to explain everything…”

They waited silently for a moment, then someone entered the hut. They turned instantly, ready to bombard the cloaked man with questions, but they immediately found that it wasn’t Loki at all.

It was Bunyan, and Ryu somehow felt really glad seeing him.

The woodsman wasn’t alone, however. He had a cow by the rope, which followed him obediently like a little puppy.

“Old man?” Teepo said, surprised. “What’re you doing here?”

Bunyan, however, did not immediately answer them. He walked over to one side of the hut and seated himself on a crate, and the cow clambered next to him.

“I was hired to take care of the cows,” he stated in a low voice. “So, whatever I say is going to be to the cows.”

Ryu felt confused, but he understood that it was a safety precaution in case they were overheard.

Rei shook his head and whispered, “Bunyan, what’s going on? We’re looking for Loki…”

Stroking the cow’s head, Bunyan spoke to the animal with his normal tone, “Hey, Buttercup, did you hear that this fellow Loki thought he could have an easy life if he got a hold of McNeil’s money?”

“W-what?!” Teepo growled. “That son of a–”

The woodsman ignored them entirely and continued to stroke the cow. “Though he didn’t know that McNeil was working for a big gang of crooks that doesn’t like being stolen from... sounds pretty dangerous, doesn’t it, ol’ Buttercup?”

Buttercup the cow mooed, playing its role very well.

Ryu didn’t understand. “What does it mean…?”

Rei’s expression was a mixture of seriousness and anxiousness. “It means we shouldn’t be hanging around here too long… we should be getting home – and fast!!”

Teepo nodded. “R-right!”

Both Rei and Teepo ran out from the hut first, though Ryu first paused to thank the woodsman before following his companions quickly.

Bunyan, left alone with the cow, heaved a sigh. “Good luck…”

 

* * *

 

Even though the three of them hurried as fast as they could all the back home, fleeing from the attacking monsters to save time, it still took them a little over half an hour to reach the area where their cabin stood.

The first thing they noticed was the crimson sky, followed by a burning heat.

Then, a familiar crackling sound.

Their cabin was burning.

“Wha… what the?!” Rei exclaimed, running quickly to the fence outside the cabin. “What’s going on?! What happened?!”

“It’s McNeil! I know it is!!” Teepo yelled angrily, running up to his side. “He did this to get back at us!!”

He turned around. “Teepo…”

The boy snarled, kicking the air forcefully. “I’ll kill him!! Just you wait, I’ll get him! I swear I’ll get him!!”

Ryu, who then came up towards them, felt terrified, tears threatening to fall once again. So the bad feeling he had before was right after all, that something terrible would happen to them if they stole from the mayor…

“No, it really happened…” he muttered when tears finally slid down his cheeks.

The oldest among the three shook his head uncomfortably, putting his hand on his shoulder. “Ryu… I’m sorry…” He averted his eyes. “I… I never thought… I never knew…”

“Rei!” Teepo interrupted, a frown on his face while he looked at the pathway leading away from their cabin. “There’s a bunch of people blocking the road!”

Sure enough, there were a lot of rough-looking men standing not too far from them, blocking their only way out of the area. All of them had a cruel grin on their faces, as if they knew there would be fun soon.

All of Teepo’s anger ebbed away from him completely, revealing the frightened side of him that Ryu never knew. “We’re trapped… Rei, I’m scared…” He looked as though he was about to burst into tears as well. “What should we do…?”

Ryu sniffed, rubbing his eyes to wipe away the tears. “What’s… what’s going to happen to us…?”

Rei appeared rather uncomfortable and there was a hint of fear on his striped face as well, but he took a deep breath and put on a brave look. “…don’t worry, you two. Whatever happens, I’ll make sure you’re all right… I promise.”

With that, he strode forward, down towards the group of men, pulling out his dual daggers as he walked with a purpose, with the other two following reluctantly behind.

Two figures stepped forward, and from how the nearby men stepped out of the way in respect, they had to be their leaders.

They looked like what seemed to be humanoid unicorns to Ryu – both of them had the head of a horse and bare muscular chests, with a single horn protruding from their foreheads. They only wore a pair of dark pants, red gloves and one shoulder pad, their horse tails swishing as they spoke, and they had hard hooves instead of feet.

They had to be twins or at least brothers, for the only differences between them were the colours of their Mohawk-styled mane, tail and skin. While one had striking green mane and tail as well as brown skin, the other had turquoise mane and tail together with sky blue skin.

“Well, that McNeil’s a wimp… he needs us to take care of something like this for him?” the green-haired one spoke, grinning. “But they’re just a bunch of kids, ain’t they, bro?”

“Hmph!” The other half-unicorn waved his hands once. “Still, they could’ve been useful as slaves, eh, Sunder? I guess we don’t have a choice, they tried to steal our money…”

“And might as well have some fun with them while we’re here!” Sunder laughed, sounding like a neighing horse. “What do you suggest, Balio, bro?”

“Hm…” Balio grinned. “What about we throw the tiger one into the river, the purple one into a tree and the blue one down a cliff?”

“S-shut up, you bastards!!” Teepo, who had been charging a spell, shouted and threw his hand forward. “Take this! SIMOON!!”

The familiar expanding fire sphere formed, engulfing both the half-unicorns, but to his horror, they came charging right out of the sphere, unhurt and ready to strike.

“Hah! You want to play with magic? I’ll give you magic!” Continuing to rush forward, Balio threw a glowing hand forward. “Lightning!!”

A surge of thunder sparks shot out from his hand and engulfed Teepo completely, and seconds later, the long-haired boy fell to the ground with a cry, unmoving.

“T-Teepo!!” Ryu exclaimed, tears filling his eyes.

Rei, on the other hand, was at least on par with Sunder, for he was fast enough to avoid his fists. However, the moment Balio caught him off guard, he was an easy target for the other half-unicorn. He was juggled between the two like a rag doll, repeatedly punched and kicked, and then finally thrown into the swift current of the river.

“No! Rei!!” Ryu cried loudly, tears streaming down his cheeks, but he was determined to help them and prepared to cast the Rejuvenate spell. He succeeded once, the familiar sparkles surrounding Teepo, but his companion remained unconscious.

And Rei was nowhere to be seen.

“Well, well, take a look at this, bro!” Balio stated, still grinning.

“Aw, he’s trying to bring his friends back!” Sunder remarked mockingly.

The two of them cackled, then Balio suddenly punched Ryu’s stomach hard. The strength of the punch was unbelievable; Ryu gasped in pain and was forcefully thrown back, landing on the ground painfully. The pain was so great that he remained lying down, unable to get up.

Balio smirked, stepping casually forward and pausing only to pick up the boy’s fallen short sword. “I guess you won’t be needing this anymore.”

As the half-unicorn stepped forward, Ryu’s eyes widened with utmost fear.

“N-no…” he muttered unconsciously, backing away as far as he could, his heart banging against his chest.

Then his back touched the side of a cliff.

He was trapped.

Sunder grinned. “Finish him, bro!”

The other half-unicorn nodded as he stopped right before Ryu, his eyes gleaming with cruelty. “With pleasure.”

It happened in an instant. One moment Balio was holding the short sword in his hand, and the next moment Ryu instantly found himself completely filled with cuts and gashes. His eyes wide, his mind numbed with shock, the blood splattered all over like raindrops.

He did not even feel the pain.

Time felt as though it slowed down considerably, to the point it was taking forever for him to fall towards the ground. His blood was like beads floating in midair, and everything else around him blurred as though they were unimportant.

Something unlocked in his mind; something filled his body with a rush of energy, a feeling he recognised.

His mind was blank, though aware of the energy that surged within him.

His mind, filled with only instincts.

To survive.

The energy, as though obeying a single command, suddenly gathered in his throat. It grew hot, begging to be released.

Power. To destroy everything.

He was about to unleash the burning energy in his throat, but a familiar serene male voice stopped him. It murmured in his ear, but the words were difficult to comprehend.

He only heard one phrase.

“ _No, you’re not ready yet, Ryu.”_

It was simple, but it calmed his now animal-like mind.

The energy disappeared away, so suddenly that it left him breathless. Empty.

Then finally, he landed on the ground with a thud.

And both half-unicorns neighed in laughter, triumph in their voices.

 

* * *

 

_The two gigantic figures moved towards him, their evil grins showing plainly on their faces despite the great darkness. He backed away in fear, his eyes wide, only to find that he was against a wall, unable to move further._

_A scream to his right made him turn, and he saw Rei collapsing. To his left, Teepo fell to the ground. Tears filled his eyes as his friends remained unmoving, as the two large figures in front advanced menacingly with their gigantic fists._

_Suddenly, he felt energy gathering in his throat – hot, burning energy. He felt braver, as though this energy was a great power that would protect him._

_He threw his head forward, ready to unleash the flames of death, but a voice, that familiar voice, stopped him…_

“ _NO! DON’T!!”_

_Immediately he looked up, the energy ebbing away, but it was the wrong move._

_For then a blade was stabbed through him, through his heart._

_And everything went black._

 

* * *

 

“ARGH!!” Ryu cried as he sat up quickly, jolted awake by the nightmare, but a stabbing pain in his body forced him to recoil and land hard on his back once again. Breathing heavily, he shut his eyes tightly to endure the pain, which soon diminished to a bearable amount.

Once he had calmed down a little, he turned his gaze slowly around the place he was in. He recognised it almost immediately – it was Bunyan’s stone cottage in Cedar Woods.

Sitting up – slowly this time – he found himself lying on a bed with his armour taken off, revealing his bandaged chest and arms. He had on only a pair of shorts that he usually wore beneath the armour.

_What happened…?_

Abruptly, everything that had happened before he blacked out came flooding back into his mind, and he threw himself off the bed quickly.

_Rei and Teepo! They’re hurt! I must g–_

As soon as he stood up, another pain shot through his body and forced him to his knees with a cry. A wave of dizziness kept him from getting up again, nausea making it difficult to breathe. As the room spun around him, he let himself fall into a sitting position on the floor and rested his head on the bed, beginning to feel as though he was burning from the inside, yet as though he was in the middle of a blizzard.

And he was alone. Without his companions.

Just an instant later, he heard the door creaking loudly and slamming shut, followed by a series of heavy footsteps that grew louder with every step. Then, he felt two strong hands lifting him off the floor gently and placing him on the bed in a lying position, which helped to lessen the dizziness and pain slightly.

“With your small body, you still shouldn’t move at this stage.” Bunyan’s familiar gruff voice spoke. “You still have that fever.”

Slowly, Ryu’s vision slid back into focus. He had thought that the woodsman would be angry at him for stealing from McNeil with his companions, whatever the reason they had for doing it, but he was surprised to see that Bunyan’s face was gentle, filled with pity and concern.

“I was… sick…?” the boy muttered, his voice a little hoarse from a long period of disuse.

Bunyan nodded. “You’ve been in bed for four days, and from how much you were thrashing in your sleep, it didn’t look good for a while…” He smiled slightly. “But now that you’re awake, it means the worst is over.”

Ryu merely nodded, resting his aching head on the pillow. But as he thought of the battle against the two half-unicorns, he asked, “Where… are they…?”

He shook his head slowly, looking grave. “All I found was you, alone and wounded in the woods. No doubt that you’ve gotten yourself into trouble, but I never thought something like this would happen…” He hesitated, as though he wasn’t sure how to continue. “I’m afraid they’re…”

_Dead._

The word roared itself in Ryu’s mind, over and over like a repetitive echo.

_No… they can’t be dead…_

_Dead. Dead. Dead._

_No! They’re still alive! Just gone!!_

_Dead. Dead. Dead._

_NO!! THEY’RE NOT DEAD!!_

That very moment, all the emotions in his little heart burst out of him. Disbelief, fear, pain, despair … all of them came at once, and it was too much for his young mind to bear. Tears started flowing down his face like a river, and he began sobbing loudly like a newborn child.

And Bunyan, experienced though he was, could not do anything more than to place a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

 

* * *

 

Though the woodsman did not show it – he hardly showed his emotions openly, after all – but he was worried. This little boy was worn and weak, but had a resolve stronger than he had expected.

Forcing himself to move, however many times he fell from pain and dizziness, Ryu trudged on through the woods, with one hand over the bandaged wound on his chest. He had refused to be carried, refused to rest until he recovered, refused to resign to the possibility that his companions were gone. As soon as he had stopped crying, he stepped out of the cottage and started towards his former home.

Bunyan understood what he was going through. He silently placed an oversized coat around his shoulders, told him to be careful, then followed closely behind him like a large guard dog. With him wielding the large axe he had forced Ryu and Teepo to cut firewood with three months ago, any monster that tried to attack was cleaved easily into two.

Before long, the wooden fence on the small hill loomed into view.

Ryu, having forced himself to walk here, finally fell to his knees. He was breathing hard, his hand pressed painfully on the bandage on his chest, but his head was raised, his blue eyes focused on the remains of the burnt cabin.

Tears filled his eyes. A sob escaped his lips.

Bunyan saw the trembling despair that took over the boy’s body and placed a comforting hand on his back. The resolute composure that he had through the journey here had collapsed completely, and all that was left was the vulnerability in his heart.

The woodsman, once again, continued to worry over him. He had never known the reason why the boy had joined the notorious duo of Cedar Woods, but he sensed the innocence, even purity, in him. This boy, if given the chance, would never steal. Bunyan had sensed the strong loyalty he had for his companions, as shown by his resilience in coming here despite the pain and weakness he was going through.

And now he was suffering. The consequences of having chosen to remain loyal to his friends.

Bunyan then decided that it had been long enough. Gently, he picked up the boy’s light, scrawny body with one strong arm, and strode back towards his stone cottage.

Ryu, still sobbing softly, did not resist.

 

* * *

 

How long had it been? Three days? Four?

Ryu was no longer able to keep track of time. Every time he woke up, either from sleep or from unconsciousness, he would force himself to walk to the burned cabin and sit there gazing at the remains of its blackened walls, like a lost puppy that had lost its master and chose to wait for his return.

His mind was blank. All he could think of was to patiently await his companions’ return, to go back to the way they had been living. All his heart was able to feel was this great void of emptiness, which Bunyan’s kindness was unable to touch.

What was he living for now? What should he be doing? What was his direction?

He could not find the answer.

One day, as he was on the way to the burnt cabin once more, with Bunyan behind as usual, he heard a loud squeal coming from above, followed by noisy rustling of leaves. He looked up, wondering what made the noise, and to his surprise, he saw a Ripper – a breed of large green bird Rei had first introduced to him – clasping a claw around an adult squirrel.

The squirrel struggled as hard as it could, trying to free itself from the grasp of its captor, but to no avail. The Ripper, proud to have found its dinner so quickly, spread its wings and disappeared into the depths of the woods, the squirrel’s loud squeal piercing the air.

The scene left Ryu speechless.

Bunyan, apparently already used to this, did not seem bothered by it. “Ryu, do you think that the strong conquers the weak?”

“The strong conquers the weak…?” Ryu lowered his head, feeling despaired once more. “Yes, I do think so… like what happened to us…”

“I see…”

And no more was to be said.

 

* * *

 

However, the next morning, once Ryu sat at the table for breakfast, Bunyan approached him.

“Do you remember the squirrel from yesterday?” he asked.

Ryu nodded slightly. How could he have forgotten that brutal scene?

“Here, look at this.” Reaching into his pocket, Bunyan drew out a dirty piece of cloth.

To the boy’s surprise, on the cloth was a young squirrel, its claws clinging, its eyes gleaming. It seemed skinny, hungry and terrified, but the moment the woodsman tried to touch it, it snarled and fought with such ferocity that one would have thought that it was a tiger.

“Look at this, Ryu,” Bunyan said slowly to the stunned boy. “This is the surviving member of the abandoned brood I found. I believe that its mother was the squirrel we saw yesterday.”

Ryu couldn’t stop staring at the squirrel. “The only one…?”

“That’s right. Squirrels, by nature, are docile, but if that’s the case with this little one, he would have already died like his siblings by now.” Firmly but gently, he caught a hold of the struggling squirrel and placed it in a small cage, supplied with a bowl of water and another with nuts and fruits.

The younger of the two watched in fascination as the squirrel, at first, ran all over the cage in great frenzy, frightened in an unfamiliar place, but after a while it began to tire out. Once it was calm enough to explore its surroundings, it smelt the food hungrily and began eating, much to the delight of its observers.

Bunyan gave the boy a pat on the back and continued to speak. “All animals’ purpose is to survive, but if the squirrel’s heart was not strong, then he wouldn’t have survived, now would it?”

He began to see what the woodsman was getting at. “I… see now. I should be strong in heart if I want to get what I want…”

The woodsman nodded approvingly. “Close. Remember, if you want to eat, you have to work. It’s the same here; if you want something, you have to work to get it, and be determined enough to keep at it.”

Ryu understood it now. He had done nothing in the past three days to deserve what he wanted. If he wanted to return to his peaceful life – with Rei and Teepo – then he had better start looking for them and get together again.

For the first time in days, he smiled. Though he was still sad that he was alone, his heart no longer felt as heavy.

“Thank you, Bunyan,” he said sincerely. “I won’t ever forget this important lesson you taught me.”

He smiled as well. “Now that you’re feeling better, eat something.”

The boy was surprised at the sudden command at first, but when the woodsman lined the table with a pot of rabbit stew, its scent making its way into his nose, he began to realise the hollow feeling in his stomach. After all, he hadn’t the appetite to eat until now.

And he ate heartily.

But, as he ate, his mind was filled with thoughts.

“ _Ryu, if… we ever get separated… we’ll look for each other no matter what, right…?”_ Teepo had said the night before their separation, in a strange forlorn way. _“I know I’ll keep looking for you… you’ll keep looking for me too, won’t you…?”_

“ _Of course I would, we’re friends,”_ Ryu himself had told him.

Indeed, he would start to look for them. They definitely had to be alive somewhere. Teepo had said he would go to Wyndia, hadn’t he?

Then that would be his first destination.

 

* * *

 

Even though Ryu’s resolve was strong now, another two days passed before he was even allowed out of the cottage on his own, plus another day for him to retrain himself using his short sword. During this period, he was taught the basics of camping outside – where the good places to camp are, how to set up a campfire, how to hunt for food, the sort – while he recovered from the fever that overtook him. His wounds healed quickly, at a rate that surprised the woodsman, though the latter believed it was just because of youth.

Finally, Ryu was ready to set out to Wyndia. Unlike the times he used to live with Rei and Teepo, he was now equipped with a small backpack filled with tools that he might need during his journey, courtesy of the woodsman.

Bunyan gave him directions. “Wyndia is to the east of here, past Mt. Myrneg, but it’ll be a while before you’ll get there.” With that, he paused, he shook his head, then knelt down so that his eyes were level with Ryu’s. “You watch yourself now, you hear me? You may have survived the last ordeal, as if something was protecting you, but it won’t be like that forever… do your best to stay alive, and lead an honest life.”

Ryu smiled. “Thanks a lot, I’m glad you helped me so much. I won’t forget what you’ve taught me.”

He nodded and straightened. “Run along now, you’ll want to get as much distance covered in a day as possible.”

“I will… goodbye.”

Ryu turned to leave, missing the sad expression on the woodsman’s face that disappeared after a fleeting moment.

The boy felt rather afraid of travelling on his own, since he had never been alone before – he had always been with both Rei and Teepo, or just the latter – but he was determined. He would get past all obstacles to find his friends.

But first, he decided to visit his former home again.

As he gazed at the remains of the burnt cabin, a place he had called home for the past three months, a feeling of sadness overwhelmed him. Now, his only memories were of this place and his missing companions.

His hand tightening on the hilt of the short sword that Rei had given him, he forced himself to focus on the present once more.

… _no, I mustn’t dwell on it, I must remember what I have to do…_

With one final look at the destroyed place, he turned to leave, but he stopped when he accidentally kicked a small fruit. There it lay on the ground, lying among the scattered apples, and he bent down to pick it up. If one could describe the appearance of this fruit, it would be a golden orange, though its skin seemed to be glowing with a light that felt rather divine.

_Teepo… must’ve found this the last time he got breakfast for us…_

He pocketed the strange fruit and strode out of the area, fully determined to find his companions.

It took two hours to arrive at Yrall Road, as Ryu tried to stay as far from McNeil Village as possible, feeling that he wouldn’t be able to face the villagers for the time being. He had managed to avoid contact with anyone other than a few stray monsters, until he arrived at the foot of Mt. Myrneg, which seemed much bigger than the mountain where they had slain the Nue.

Even though it was still springtime, somehow Mt. Myrneg still had the appearance of a partially barren land, rather like Mt. Glaus before the defeat of the Nue. There were leaves on the few trees that were there, but the ground was dry and barren for most parts.

Ryu ventured bravely towards the top of the mountain, occasionally meeting some monsters. Courtesy of Rei’s constant sparring with him, he had no trouble with them, except a strange humanoid creature made entirely of mud. The blade of his short sword merely passed through the mud, allowing the monster a chance to hit him, but in the end, the problem was soon resolved by freezing it solid with a Frost spell that he had picked up from Teepo before striking.

Yet, despite being driven forward by his resolve to find his companions, he still ended up covering his eyes and swinging his sword blindly in a manner that drove Teepo mad. He just couldn’t help it.

One day he would get rid of the habit, he promised. One day.

He walked as much as he could before he stopped to rest for a few minutes every hour or so, for he still felt pain in his recovering wounds beneath the bandages. But he persevered, and by the time it was sunset, he had already walked a good distance.

At night, he did not try to travel any further, since Bunyan had told him that it was a bad idea, and Ryu was more inclined to believe him when he found that without his campfire nearby, he could not see anything beyond a few feet away. He stayed up only for a few minutes, munching on the apples he had brought along with him, and went straight to sleep in a bedroll.

This was how he continued for three days.

At the end of the third day, however, he paused when he caught sight of smoke coming from somewhere nearby, which indicated that someone was there. Ryu, not taking any chances after his encounter with the half-unicorns, hid behind a large boulder and glanced forward.

He froze when he saw who it was.

Balio and Sunder were seated on fallen logs, with a campfire between them and two small birds being roasted on sticks held over the fire. They were surrounded by several trees and boulders, one of which Ryu was hiding behind.

“Man, that was a waste of time,” the green-haired brother remarked as he grabbed one of the roasted birds and bit of a huge piece from it. “We shouldn’t have stayed in that tiny backwater village for so long.”

Balio took a swig from the mug in his hand and shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t think it’s completely wasted…” He grinned. “We got to teach some kid thieves a lesson, didn’t we?”

Sunder grinned as well. “Oh yeah, they won’t be able to walk ever again! We made sure of that!”

Just that very moment, a Ripper set off from a tree, shaking the branches violently from the takeoff. Ryu, startled, took a step behind him in surprise…

…and trod on a dry twig on the ground.

_Crack!_

The half-unicorns were instantly alert, their horse ears twitching.

Sunder, who seemed to be the speedier of the two, managed to grab the boy by the scruff of his neck, and he smirked when he recognised him. “Hey, bro! Take a look at this!”

“Heh, he’s a pretty lucky one,” his brother sneered. “He’s up and walking already!”

He cackled. “Unluckily for him, we happened to be in his way!”

Balio then spoke with a soft, dangerous voice, “Since he’s here, we might as well have…” He suddenly raised his voice. “…some fun!”

Ryu’s eyes widened as Balio pulled out a dagger, and he let out a cry when the dagger was stabbed towards him, and then into him.

Right through the heart.

Time froze. Just like the last time he was struck.

His mind was suddenly blank, aware only of the energy that began surging in his veins.

Instincts. To survive.

There was no pain.

That was all that mattered; to survive.

The energy inside him burned, aching to be released.

To survive.

He waited, as though for his master’s command.

The serene male voice, the same one as before, spoke into his ear with approval.

“ _Yes, Ryu… I see you’re ready. Now, draw the power from the heritage in your blood!”_

Just as the voice faded, time resumed once more and Ryu fell to the ground. His mind numbed, his ears deaf to the triumphant laughter of his attackers, his eyes blind to his surroundings.

And his body became still.

Then, his heart beat once, resonating throughout his body that was beginning to glow.

A moment later, it beat once again, the light growing brighter and brighter, and finally becoming so dazzling that it blinded his attackers.

His heart now beating normally, it resonated and echoed throughout his body, giving him energy and power.

To survive.

Then, all too suddenly, the light surrounding him disappeared away, leaving his body lying on the ground. The wound had disappeared away, so did the blood.

However, his form was no longer that of an azure-haired boy… but a green Dragon whelp.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The burning cabin scene? Well, I read this game script from GameFAQs (I use it when I’m writing the scenes in advance, before I watch the scenes in-game) that had some removed scripts as well. Since the burning cabin scene seems so much better like this (wonder why they scrapped it?), I used it here instead of the original… gives Teepo a darker personality. o_o
> 
> And I hope you liked the two scenes where Ryu encountered near death situations. It just seems more dramatic when you give him such animal instincts. xP


	8. Six: The City of Winds

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Six: The City of Winds**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

The sound of a piano, played to a slow, peaceful melody, echoed through the decorated halls of Wyndia Castle, sweet to the ears of those who listened. Of course, there were those critics who believed that this song was badly played, but even if they thought so, they did not dare to say it out loud, for the player was the only princess of the kingdom. And she was only eight.

Young as she was, she still had to learn lessons on various subjects, from histories of the world to monster studies, but being the obedient girl she was, she did those lessons without uttering a word of complaint, and the current lesson was music, where she learned how to play the piano. This was one class that she loved, for she adored those soothing pieces, and being able to play them was something she was proud of.

When the lesson ended, much to her disappointment, a servant came just as the tutor left and gave a low, polite bow before addressing her, “Princess Nina, His Majesty the King seeks your presence.”

She nodded and replied formally as her mother had always taught her, “I understand. You may leave.”

“By your leave, Princess.” With that, he slowly backed out of the room.

Nina kept all of her piano scores neatly and put them in the nearby shelf – even though it was the maid’s job to do it, as she preferred to keep her things on her own. As soon as she was done, she walked out of the room, heading towards the audience hall, and gradually began to run.

Wyndia Castle was, like most castles, elegantly decorated, with gleaming suits of armour along some walls and green carpet along the long halls, complete with pictures and tapestries that showed the class of the royalty. Maids busied themselves with constant cleaning of the building, servants with the orders of high-ranking people, and soldiers with the frequent patrolling of the places. It was a lively place that Nina was born and raised in, and it was a place she loved.

As soon as she had arrived at the giant doors of the audience hall, she slowed to a stop to catch her breath, and then calmly strode into the largest hall in the castle.

The audience hall, as she remembered, was similarly decorated as the other parts of the castle save for the wide green carpet on the floor leading from the doors to the three thrones, the middle and the right ones occupied by her parents. Her mother was wearing a long flowing blue dress with a headdress while the king, as usual, was dressed in an elegant robe with a red cloak and great golden crown decorated with jewels. He had large white feathered wings that were folded neatly behind his back, which was the symbol of the Wyndian royal bloodline.

Nina stepped up towards them and curtsied, bowing her head as she did. “Nina Wyndia, here to seek an audience with the King and Queen of Wyndia.”

“You may rise, Nina,” the king stated, smiling as both him and his wife rose.

She did as she was told and then, with a giggle, threw herself at her parents. “Father! Mother! I haven’t seen you for so long!”

Her mother shook her head. “We’re sorry, Nina dear, it’s just that we’ve been so busy these past few days.”

“Yes, it is strange.” The king sighed. “The direction of the wind is changing, even though it’s not supposed to for another few months at least…”

Nina paused, trying to take this all in, but she still could not see the gravity of the situation. She shook her head, grinning happily. “But at least you’re here!”

The queen smiled. “Yes… yes, of course.”

Her husband knelt down, keeping his head level with his daughter’s. “Nina, there’s still one last audience for today and it will do you good if you sit here and listen.” He gazed at her. “Can you do that?”

“Yes!” The princess clapped her hands. “Then we can have dinner together and read storybooks and everything!”

Both her parents laughed.

A male voice then called out loudly from the entrance of the audience hall, firmly and purposely.

“Balio and Sunder have arrived for an audience!”

“They’re here, Nina,” the king stated, ushering her to her throne. “Be patient, all right?”

“I will!” Nina piped up and went to her seat.

Once the royal couple had settled down on their own thrones, the king nodded at the guard at the door, who let the audience-seekers in.

The first thing Nina thought the moment she laid her eyes on the two people was that they looked very much like horses with a horn, but standing upright like humans. One of them had blue hair and skin while the other green hair and brown skin, and they set a huge box-shaped thing – covered with a white cloth – down onto the carpet between them. As the princess watched them, fascinated, she wondered why they needed a box so large that even she could fit inside.

“What is it that you have come to seek?” the king asked, reverting to his formal self.

The blue-haired half-unicorn bowed courteously. “Your Majesty, I am Balio and this is my brother–”

“Sunder!” the green-haired one cried.

Balio gave him a harsh look, and then continued, “The reason why we sought an audience with you, Your Majesty, is that we’ve caught a dangerous mythical creature.”

The king raised an eyebrow. “A dangerous mythical creature? Do you mean… a Dragon?”

“It certainly is, Your Highness.”

“It’s for real!” Sunder stated, evidently excited. “A real Dragon!!”

Nina recalled learning something about them in both her history and monster study lessons. Apparently Dragons were evil creatures that had tried to destroy the world but were defeated four hundred years ago… and she had learned that they were powerful.

But if they were that powerful, how were these men able to contain one in a little box like that?

The king seemed thoughtful. “Hm… if what you say is true, then it is a most serious matter.”

Balio nodded in agreement. “Indeed, they tried to destroy the world.” He moved to the side of the box-shaped thing and grabbed hold of the cloth that covered it. “Your Majesty, I bring you–” He pulled the cloth off and cried dramatically, “–the Dragon!!”

Everyone else in the room leaned closer to take a look at this supposed legendary creature, and even Nina did the same. However, as hard as she tried to stare, all she saw was a small boy in a square cage, around the same age as herself, with short messy azure hair. She could not help to notice that he appeared extremely frightened, and that he was ready to burst into tears any time soon.

There was a long silence in the room as everyone stared at the boy, except for the soft gasps of some maids, and Sunder broke it by saying, “Uh, bro…”

“Damn it!” Balio cursed. “He’s gone back to being a kid!”

The other half-unicorn shook his head. “Let’s try hitting him again!!”

He nodded, and then together, both brothers kicked the cage mercilessly, the loud sounds resonating through the hall. The boy in the cage put his arms over his head, as though it would protect him, and he shook with fear as he curled up tightly.

“Hey, kid!” Sunder cried as he kicked as hard as he could. “C’mon! Why won’t you change?!”

Nina shook her head. “Stop, please! You’re scaring him!!”

Her father had thought that it was enough as well, for he slammed a hand onto the armrest of his throne, clearly angry at this display of violence in his court. “Enough!! Explain yourselves, charlatans!”

The half-unicorns obeyed immediately, slowly backing away from the cage, but they simply could not explain themselves.

“Guards!” the king cried, looking around the audience hall at his trusted soldiers. “Arrest these conmen and their ‘Dragon’!!”

“Daddy! You can’t mean that!” his daughter exclaimed, standing up as the guards complied. “Can’t you see how scared he is?!”

“I’ve no choice, Nina…” The king sighed softly. “It might just be an act, so the three of them might be at it together. In that case, I can’t let even one of them go free.”

The princess shook her head quickly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “You really can’t let him go…?”

“No…” He put a hand on her small shoulder. “I’m sorry, Nina.”

She turned her gaze downwards, terribly disappointed in her father. However, she had to remember that he was the king and could not do as he pleased…

“It’s… it’s okay…” she muttered, but immediately after that, she sped out of the hall, leaving both her parents with concerned expressions on their faces.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Ryu curled up on the bed at the corner of the prison cell, his back leaning against the stone wall, his knees pulled closed to his chest. Occasionally he sniffed, trying very hard not to cry, but his overwhelming fear made it terribly hard to stay calm. What would happen to him?

He jumped when the loud voice belonging to Sunder from the next cell yelled at him, “It’s all your fault, you brat! If only you’d turn into a Dragon, we wouldn’t be down here!!”

_Dragon…?_

The green-haired brother let out a frustrated sigh. “Man, we’re gonna miss the Contest…”

Ryu remained silent.

It was at that moment when a light tapping sound came from the door of his cell, startling him out of his thoughts. He looked up and his eyes widened when he saw who it was – a small girl about his age.

This girl was slightly shorter than he was, with long blond hair that was tied into a high ponytail with a blue ribbon. She had on a red and white dress that went past her knees, large orange ribbon sewn to the back of the dress, a pair of long pink gloves and black shoes. Her cerulean blue eyes shone with kindness. Somehow, though, Ryu felt that she did not look right without a pair of wings…

He blinked. Wait, what was he thinking?

“Um… hello,” she greeted shyly, clasping her hands lightly together behind her. This gesture made her look even shyer.

Ryu approached the cell door slowly, not knowing how to react. “Hello… um, who… are you?”

“I’m Nina…” She hesitated, as though her answer would make him stop listening. “Nina Wyndia.”

He blinked. “Wyndia? You’re the princess?”

She nodded. “My parents don’t know I’m here… do you have a name?”

He realised that he had not mentioned his name. “Oh, it’s Ryu… I don’t know my family name.”

“You don’t know your family name…?”

A forlorn expression crept over his face. “Yeah, I don’t remember anything about my life before three months ago…” He shook his head and tried to change the subject from his past. “But if you’re the princess, why are you here?”

“I… it’s just that I feel sorry for you. It must be really horrible to be treated like that…”

He was surprised. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about me… it’s okay.”

“Even so.” She nodded. “I don’t think it’s fair that you’re treated like that so… I just thought I’ll let you go.”

“THANK YOU!!” Sunder suddenly yelled, making both of them jump violently.

The two children turned, gazing at the cell door not too far away where the half-unicorns were imprisoned.

Sunder was half-turned towards his brother. “Hear that, bro? She said she’ll let us go!!”

Nina seemed surprised, then she shook her head. “Um, no, not you… If I let you go, you’ll just pick on him again, won’t you?”

Balio shook his head and spoke softly that was dripping with false humbleness, “We wouldn’t do that, Princess Nina; we won’t pick on him again.”

His brother nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we won’t! I swear it!”

The princess stared at them for a moment, not knowing whether to trust them or not. “…really?”

“No!” Ryu said. “If you let them out, there’s no telling what they’d do!”

“Hey, watch i–” Sunder started, but received a hard elbow blow on his chest.

“Yeah, we really won’t pick on him again,” Balio promised, ignoring the glare that he received. “So… if you’ll just… let us out…”

Nina thought for long time, and then to the boy’s despair, nodded. “Okay, I trust you enough…”

“N-no!!” Ryu cried.

She went over to the switch next to their cell door, fiddled with it for a moment, and the door swung open easily. The half-unicorns, now free, slowly stepped out and stretched.

“Whoo! We’re FREE!!” Sunder shouted.

Balio turned to Nina and bowed. “Thank you, Princess.”

She gazed upward at their tall figures. “And you won’t pick on him again, right?”

He shook his head, now with an evil grin on his horse face. “Oh, no, we won’t do anything to _that kid_ again…”

Suddenly he swung a hand to the back of her neck, instantly knocking her out with one hit.

“Way to go, bro!” Sunder cheered.

He laughed. “We don’t need that freak now… a princess is worth more money anyway!”

Sunder lifted the unmoving princess onto his shoulder easily and they, laughing as they walked, strode down a particular hallway further into the dungeons.

Ryu stared in horror as the brothers cantered off with Nina, and frantically looked for a way to escape from his cell to follow them. However, the cell was so well built that there was no way to escape outside… unless he charged the door down.

Taking whatever chances he had, he threw himself hard against the bars, but immediately recoiled back and landed forcefully on the ground in pain. It took only a moment for him to get back onto his feet despite how painful it was, but to his dismay, the cell door did not even budge an inch.

_No! They’re getting away with her!_

Out of desperation he charged the door down again. Unlike before, however, this time he was filled with a sudden burst of power that he never knew he had, his whole body glowing. When he hit the door, it fell completely off its hinges, landing on the ground with a loud clang.

He stared at the fallen door for a moment, stunned, then shook his head quickly and focused on the task at hand – rescuing the princess.

Not even wondering why the guard was not there, he pulled his confiscated weapon from the nearby cupboard and sped down the dungeon hallway as fast as his little legs could take him, drawing out his short sword in preparation for battle. He didn’t give a second thought to whether he could win or not, nor did he feel fear.

“Let me go!” Nina’s shrill voice shouted from not too far away, echoing along the dungeon walls. “I said let me GO!!”

“No can do, princess!” Balio laughed. “Not until we get our ransom money!”

Filled with an unexplainable burning determination to rescue her, the boy picked up speed. The moment he caught sight of his targets with Nina, he leaped high into the air, his blade gleaming in the light, and slashed downwards at Sunder’s broad back.

Unlike the past battles, this time there was no sign of hesitancy in his strike.

“OWW!! YOU BRAT!!” the half-unicorn cried in fury as he turned, tossing the princess aside. “I’m gonna KILL you for THAT!!”

“But what if he turns into a Dragon again?” Balio asked uncertainly. “He seems invulnerable that way…”

His brother seemed too fired up about being hit to care about anything else, for he yelled, “Who cares?! He wouldn’t dare to do anything stupid while the princess is with us!!”

Ryu said nothing and stood his ground, watching the two half-unicorns who were very much bigger than himself, their tails swishing. He was no longer the terrified boy they had seen before, with his sword held in a manner as though he had done it for years – seeing Nina in trouble had somehow sparked a fiery determination from within him.

He quickly healed the princess with his Rejuvenate spell, which woke her up, and then proceeded to divert the brothers’ attention while she scrambled to her feet and fled somewhere.

And it was a diversion that definitely drew their attention.

Ryu, with his expression hard and his eyes calm, drew back and doubled over as though in pain, but the half-unicorns could only stare when he began to glow brightly, thunder-like sparks appearing around him.

His mind was only filled with instincts.

To protect.

With a scream, he turned upwards while a great flash of white light engulfed him, and he took the form they had dreaded to see in combat.

A Dragon.

He was still a young Dragon, looking more like a newborn with his size that retained his human height, but with a sharp glare and a blazing resolve that rivalled that of a fully-developed Dragon.

“B-bro!!” Sunder exclaimed. “He t-turned into a Dragon!!”

Balio snarled. “He’s still small, he won’t be able to do much damage!”

Oh, how wrong he was.

Ryu gave a high cry, hot energy gathering in his throat, and then threw his head forward, ready to unleash his powerful fiery breath that burned anything flammable in its path. Balio and Sunder yelped as they sped away, hiding around the corner of the hall to escape the fire breath, and yelled so loudly that even the Dragon could hear him.

“Bah! We don’t have time for this now!” Balio shouted, in an attempt to appear brave. “We’ve got more important things to worry about!” He started to trot away. “C’mon! Let’s get outta here!!”

Sunder, having seen the power of a Dragon’s fire breath, was not too keen to stay there either. “Wait for me, bro!!”

Ryu continued to glare down the hallway as they fled, unfolding and refolding his wings.

To protect.

But, after a while, he suddenly snapped out of his trance. He felt puzzled as he glanced down at his green body, as though he had just realised his new form. He remained that way even as his body glowed while he reverted back to human form, staring at his small hands.

_I’m… a… Dragon…_

It had felt wonderful being in the Dragon form, so free and powerful… it was as though he was able to do anything in the world, as if he was able to make people believe with his power alone.

…as though he was able to destroy the world itself.

_No…_ he told himself, shaking his head. _I’m not going to destroy the world… I don’t want to…_

Then, there were light footsteps echoing in the dungeons, belonging to Nina who came running towards him. His heart fell – would she start to avoid him now, knowing that he was a Dragon?

“Are you all right, Ryu?” she asked when she arrived at his side, concerned.

He nodded slowly. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

What the princess said after that lifted his spirits a little. “I didn’t see what happened earlier. I went on hiding once I managed to escape…”

“R-really?” He gave a sigh of relief. “That’s good…”

“You’re really brave, fighting them like that… I was safe because of you.” She smiled. “Thank you, Ryu.”

Ryu turned red. “I-it’s nothing…”

She giggled a little. “Come on, we should get you out of here!”

“Yeah, but…” He shook his head. “Where can we go?”

Nina seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Let’s see… we can’t go into the castle because my father will catch you again…” There was a pause as she thought hard. “If I’m right, there’s an abandoned passageway here that leads into the city…” She perked up. “I’ll take you all the way there!”

The boy shook his head again. “No, it’s okay, you should go back up to the castle, just tell me the way and I’ll just go there myse–”

“I’ll take you all the way to the city!” she insisted. “After all, as a member of the royal family, it’s my job to help people in trouble!”

He gave in. “Okay… thanks so much.”

The dungeon was huge. It took them a while to find their way through the series of walls and cells, some of which were filled with the foulest criminals. Ryu saw the princess often averted her eyes each time they passed a criminal who yelled curses and obscenities at them; she was obviously a little shaken from this. He clenched his fists – even now, he felt a compelling urge to silence these criminals, all to protect her. Why? He couldn’t explain himself.

Soon, they came to the end of the dungeon and arrived at a gate that was chained and locked. Beyond it was a staircase that led downwards.

Nina paused, wondering how to get past it, but then Ryu suddenly lunged, pulling out his sword again, and slashed at the chains, which fell onto the ground in millions of pieces with the lock. Upon sheathing his sword again, he pushed the gate open, which swung easily with a loud creak despite being locked for a long time.

“Wow, you’re strong!” Nina exclaimed. “We can get out now!”

The boy turned red again. “No, n-not really…”

Heading downstairs, they came across an underground tunnel, with a lot of tombstones around – it was a catacomb, partially lit by large bonfires located at various parts of the area. As they walked silently, they had to fend off furry dust-like monsters that had infested the area. To Ryu’s pleasant surprise, he learned that the princess was able to use magic as well, like Teepo, though most of her spells were different from what he had seen before.

After a while, the silence became rather unnerving, and Nina began a conversation.

“Where were you staying before you were caught and brought to the castle?” she asked as they walked, her ponytail bobbing up and down as she did.

At first the boy only stared at the ground, a strong feeling of sadness taking over him, though after a moment, he told her everything from the time he woke up in Rei and Teepo’s cabin until the time he was caught by Balio and Sunder at Mt. Myrneg. Once he had started, he found it rather easy to talk to her, as though she was someone who always listened whenever he had a problem…

Nina remained silent for a moment after she had heard his story, looking crestfallen. “I see, so much have happened to you…” She then shook her head and smiled, trying to reassure him. “Try not to think so much about it, okay? I’ll help you to look for Rei and Teepo!”

He tried to smile as well. “Thanks, but it’s really okay. You’re already helping so much.”

“But you saved me too, and besides, it’s better to be together with someone than being alone!”

It seemed there was no stopping her once she had made up her mind… but Ryu didn’t mind. She was certainly right; he felt better with her at his side than he was alone.

Soon, they came across a path leading to a higher ground, where a particular tombstone stood. It drew Ryu’s attention because it had a lot of words carved into it, and even Nina said something about it.

“I think this tombstone is the way to get us out of here…” She paused to think, then smiled sheepishly. “But I don’t remember what the captain said about it before.”

Ryu, looking at the words, read them out loud, “Remember the _red_ _words_ , not the _green_ …”

It was easy to read the words as there was a bonfire nearby to light it, but he felt confused at the words… then, he realised that three of those words – _red_ , _words_ and _green_ – were raised, like buttons that can be pushed. Acting on a hunch, he pushed the word _red_.

Suddenly, a hole opened up in the beneath ground beneath him, and he fell with a surprised yell. He landed on his feet like a cat, breathing rapidly from the jolt of surprise, and it took him a while to calm himself down before he could look around at his surroundings.

He was in a smaller area of the catacomb, though there were no tombstones this time. It was like a small cave, with no exits except for the newly made hole above.

“Are you all right, Ryu?” Nina called from the hole.

“I’m fine,” Ryu replied. “You were right about the tombstone getting us out, but now we’re in a smaller room…”

“Oh, that’s right, that’s what the captain told me before!” She seemed a little embarrassed. “But I don’t know if I can jump down there…”

He shook his head. “It’s okay, I’ll catch you.” He held his arms in front of him. “Here, jump!”

The princess hesitated a little longer before she finally nodded, and then awkwardly moved to a sitting position at the hole. When she pushed herself off the edge, however, she landed right on top of Ryu, and both of them fell with a crash.

“Oh… oops.” Nina giggled. “Sorry.”

Once they had gotten up from the ground, dusting themselves, the girl gazed at the floor.

“Now, I’m sure he said another hole would be somewhere here…” She took a few cautious steps, and abruptly, she fell through the said hole with a scream.

Ryu, his eyes wide, immediately leaped into the hole right after her and landed beside her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, it just gave me a scare…” She got up, apparently unhurt. “But I wish they would put signs to tell us where the holes are.”

He shrugged. “I don’t think that’ll happen…”

Looking around, they found that they were still in the catacomb, but a cleaner area with tiles on the floor that formed a pathway around neatly arranged dark coffins. Several tombstone-like stones stood around the side of the place, with a carved picture of a winged person on them.

Nina narrowed her eyes slightly to see clearer in the dim place. “Okay, we made it, Ryu.” She turned to him. “This is the Royal Graveyard, where my ancestors are buried.”

Ryu gave a quick, anxious glance around at the tombstones, wondering if the spirits would appear like how it happened in the McNeil Village mayor’s manor.

Luckily for him, she happened to miss his anxious look when she turned to gaze at a stone with the picture of a winged person. “I heard that all the Wyndian’s ancestors used to have wings and being able to fly with them… I wonder why we don’t now, though.”

The boy nearly wanted to say that Wyndians did have wings in the past, but he caught himself before he did. After all, how would he know about it?

She turned back to him, smiling. “C’mon, the city’s just outside!”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Wyndia was nothing like McNeil Village, as Ryu observed, for it was a huge stone city surrounded by high walls, bigger and much busier than the village – women busied themselves with the laundry, travellers walked up and down while taking in the view, men were repairing broken items, and children ran all over as they played. A strong breeze weaved around the numerous stone houses, powerful enough to move the giant windmills that rose from various locations of the city, yet not strong enough to blow people off their feet. The whole city seemed to be built right on top of a hill, for the back, where the castle stood, was much higher than the front entrance, with several wide staircases leading to the castle.

“Wow…” Ryu breathed before he could stop himself.

“This is Wyndia, the City of Winds!” Nina stated proudly, smiling. “It’s a nice place, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is. But why are the castle and some houses built so high up? Aren’t the people afraid of falling?”

“Well…” She seemed thoughtful. “Remember what I said about some of us believe our ancestors could fly? We don’t have wings now anymore than a normal person, but we’re still not afraid of heights…” She nodded, grinning. “It just feels wonderful to be so high!”

“I see, so that’s how it is… it makes sense too.” He heaved a sigh. “But this place is so big, I’m not sure if I’ll find them here…”

The princess shook her head. “Don’t worry, we’ll find them. I’ll help you like I promised, okay?”

He smiled slightly. “Thanks, Nina.”

“C’mon! Let’s go ask some people!”

However, as Ryu had feared, it was not easy to find someone in such a large, busy place. Everyone they spoke either told them that they had not seen anyone that fitted the descriptions, or that they didn’t pay attention to all the people around, yet there were some helpful ones who encouraged him, telling him he would definitely find his friends, and some irritated ones who told him to get lost.

Two hours later, Ryu stopped, sighing. “This isn’t working…”

Nina shook her head. “Don’t give up, I’m still sure we’ll find them, even if it takes time!” She glanced around and pointed to a nearby park. “Look, there are some children over there, we can ask them about it, maybe they’ll know something.”

The boy found it rather hard to smile this time, but he at least attempted to do it. “Okay, we’ll give it a try.”

There were a lot of children – all around Ryu and Nina’s age – running around the area, squealing as they played. The duo slowly approached a particular boy, a brown-haired one, sitting at the fountain and Nina asked, “Excuse me… have you seen a boy with long purple hair?”

“Looking for a boy?” the boy asked, thinking deeply for a moment before his face lit up. “Hm… ah, I know!”

“R-really?! You do?!” Ryu spoke immediately, now filled with new hope.

“You’re playing hide-and-seek, right?” He grinned. “Okay, you’re it! You’ll have to find all four of us!”

“Yay!!” three other children – two boys and a girl – yelled, and then scattered all over the area in search of a hiding spot.

“Don’t chicken out on us now!” the boy, who seemed to be the leader of the group, stated, and then ran off to hide himself.

Ryu was filled with a huge disappointment again – he clearly knew that Teepo wasn’t playing hide-and-seek… but it was no good telling the children that, for they were already gone.

“We should still find them,” Nina told him, trying to cheer him up. “You said Teepo’s a child like us, right? So maybe they’ll know something we don’t.”

He looked up. “Yeah, you’re right…” Once again determined, he beamed and nodded. “Let’s go find them then!”

It took them sometime to find all four children hidden around the park, though they had fun. Since Rei and Teepo weren’t the sort to play games, this was Ryu’s first game and it was the first time he had so much fun laughing. It was as though his sad beginnings were already forgotten.

Once they had found the four children, all of them met at the water fountain once again. The leader of the small group grinned as he remarked, “Wow, you’re pretty good at this game!”

“Thanks, and it’s the first time I had so much fun!” Ryu replied honestly, grinning as well.

Nina giggled a little. “Me too!”

“Right, you said something about looking for some kid?” the brown-haired boy asked. When the other two nodded, he shook his head. “Loads of people come to Wyndia, though not many of them are kids and I don’t really remember seeing purple hair on them.”

“I see…” Ryu sighed softly, feeling disappointed again.

“But hey, a little while ago, a robber broke into that house over there.” He pointed towards a particular house next to a row of shops. “That robber was a kid about your size, and I heard he gave the owner quite a beating.”

The blue-haired boy perked up. That sounded like Teepo!

Nina noticed his excitement and continued questioning the leader of the children. “What happened to the boy? Where did he go?”

“Oh, I heard he got beaten up and took off… I think he went down the road outside the city.”

Ryu nodded. “Thanks, we’ll try looking there.”

Nina beamed. “Let’s go, Ryu!”

Once outside the walls of Wyndia, they were greeted by a vast green land filled with forests and hills, reminding them that it was still spring. Hoping that they would catch up with the aforementioned robber, they hurried down the road that led away from the city, a road that Ryu recognised – he had passed by here before in a cage when Balio and Sunder caught him at Mt. Myrneg.

Soon, they arrived at a T-junction, a place that Nina called Eygnock Road. There was no sign of anyone around, which made Ryu feel a little dejected, but noticing the small hut, he decided to ask the residents there in case they had seen anyone.

He pushed the door cautiously, peeking into the hut to see who the residents were, and found an old couple sitting on chairs by the fireplace.

“Hey, granny…” the old man spoke in a rasping voice. “We have another little visitor.”

“Oh my, two visitors in a day!” the old woman stated with a soft laugh. “Come in, come in!”

Ryu nodded slightly and stepped inside, but as soon as he did, Nina’s shrill voice screamed loudly outside. A look of horror came to his face, and with a hurried goodbye to the elderly couple, he sped outside.

The moment he did, however, he froze.

Balio and Sunder stood triumphantly in his path, with Nina struggling in Balio’s tight grip.

“Ryu!” the princess cried.

“Nina!!” Ryu exclaimed, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Don’t even think about it, my little lizard friend…” Balio said, his voice dangerous.

The boy gritted his teeth, anger boiling up inside him, but there was nothing he could do but to lower his hand. After all, they might hurt Nina…

“Good move, punk!” Sunder grinned evilly. “There’s no use resisting!”

His brother shrugged with one shoulder. “Well, we don’t really care about you anyway, since we have the princess… but things would bet messy if you ratted on us, see?” He shook his head. “But it’ll be even messier if we try to kill you here and you turn into a Dragon again…”

Sunder neighed. “But don’t worry, we’ve figured it out!” He approached the glaring boy. “Say GOOD NIGHT!!”

Suddenly he gave a powerful kick at Ryu, so hard that it made him collapse immediately.

“Ryu!! No!!” Nina screamed, tears beginning to form, but her attempt was futile.

For Ryu was already unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A side note; I did try to win the second battle against Balio and Sunder in the game by turning into a Dragon (yes, it’s possible), but after about twenty tries, I just gave up and read the game script instead. o_o


	9. Seven: The Power to Protect

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Seven: The Power to Protect**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

Once again caught, Ryu and Nina were carted off to a place far, far away from Wyndia… so far away that it took them over three days to reach it. It might have taken them less time to cross the bridges and move around a mountain to a town, if it were not for the brothers’ horse and cart. At the end of the fourth day, they passed a road sign that said “This way to Arena Town Genmel”, so Ryu assumed that Genmel was the name of this place.

But what a strange town it was.

The ground was barren, covered in dirt, as though something was keeping the grass from growing. A strong stone wall, carved with strange patterns, protected the cluster of flimsy tents that replaced houses in this town. However, the landmark that caught his attention most was the great stone building at the end of the town, a fortress-like place that was a battle arena.

It was certainly a busy town, but Ryu noticed that, unlike the peaceful people of McNeil Village and the happy, busy people of Wyndia, the residents of Genmel had one thing in common between them – a look of purpose on their faces, accompanied by greediness and evil.

That made sense. After all, Nina had said this was a town famous for having a black market and battle arena, with the residents consisting of mainly thieves and criminals.

Ryu felt nervous.

Nina, sitting beside him, tried to look brave.

Would they be safe here?

The cart moved among the shady people and smelly tents, entering a narrow alley in between. After several twists and turns, it abruptly stopped in a more open area, right in front of a particular tent that had a gaudy, dirty sign outside that said “Fahl’s Pub”. Before Ryu could even start wondering where he was, Sunder grabbed them and roughly but nonchalantly threw them in.

“Hey, Fahl!” he shouted. “I brought the troublemakers!”

Inside the tent, there were tables and benches lined up around what little space it had, complete with a counter on the left side. There were only two occupants here – one was a short, round and snoozing half-horse man shorter than the half-unicorn brothers, with a small head, muscular arms, blue skin and brown mane.

This other person was so tall that Ryu would only reach his waist, and looked surprisingly like a humanoid Dragon, which shook Ryu when he saw him. He had brown skin and muscular arms, and he wore what seemed an oriental uniform made of purple and red cloth, as well as huge blue beads around his neck. But what made him truly similar to a Dragon were his Dragon-like head, complete with great red horns, a large pair of bat-like wings folded neatly behind him, and shoeless Dragon-like claws on his feet. He had an air of calm seriousness around him, and yet there was something eerie about him that made Ryu shiver in fear…

“Hey! Fahl!!” Sunder shouted again, louder this time, forcing the azure-haired boy’s attention from the winged man.

The half-horse snorted as he awoke, then stared at the brothers. “Whadya want?” The moment the words were out of his mouth, a look of realisation came to his face. “Oh yeah… the kids.” He shook his head. “I just gotta keep an eye on ‘em, right?”

“Yeah, just keep your eyes on them…” Balio gazed harshly at the numerous bottles on the counter. “…and your hands off the bottle, Fahl.”

He nodded. “Sure will. Yer can count on me.”

“Thanks, Fahl. Now, you brats…” Balio grabbed the two of them and threw them behind the cloth barrier at the end of the pub, out of sight from customers who would enter. “Just stay here and behave yourselves.” With that, he turned and left, his tail swishing behind him.

“You’d better take it easy too, Garr,” Sunder’s voice spoke from the main area of the tent. “The Contest’s coming up, y’know.”

A low grunt was his reply, and the clip clops that followed indicated that the half-unicorn left as well. Ryu assumed that he had spoken to that Dragon-like man he saw earlier, and that his name was Garr. The boy shivered once again at the thought of him…

Nina shook her head, struggling slightly beside him, and whispered, “We’ve got to get out of here… now’s our chance!” She sighed softly. “Darn, if only we could get out of these ropes…”

Ryu, who felt determined to escape, nodded. “I’ll chew through them.”

She looked doubtful. “I don’t think so, they’re too thick–”

Without waiting for a reply, the boy bit the rope hard, chewing rapidly as though he was already in his Dragon form. The rope tasted rather bitter in his mouth, but he didn’t care – he simply had to escape from the captors and at least bring the princess back to her home.

“Wow!” Nina exclaimed softly when he was done. “You bit all the way through them! That’s amazing, Ryu! Now maybe we can get out of here!”

He turned red again. “T-thanks…”

As with his own rope, he bit through Nina’s and freed her, and after he checked that his weapon was still with him (they didn’t bother taking it off him), they moved as quietly as they could to the side of the cloth barrier. Only Fahl and Garr were there, with the half-horse constantly drinking bottle after bottle while the other was silently contemplating.

“Looks like they’re gone…” the girl whispered, referring to their captors. “That guy named Fahl’s here, but it looks like he’s had too much to drink…”

“Had too much to drink?” Ryu asked, confused.

“Those drinks, they call them beer, I think,” she answered, pointing at the numerous bottles by their guard’s side. “Some adults like drinking them, though it messes with your head if you have too much of it…”

“It messes with your head?” he echoed. “Why would anyone drink that?”

“I don’t know either,” she admitted, an embarrassed smile on her face. “But anyway, if we’re quiet, he might not notice us. Let’s go!”

He nodded and pondered no further about head-messing drinks.

Slowly, step by step, the two children tiptoed towards the entrance of the tent, careful not to make a single sound with their feet. Garr, the winged man, opened an eye to look at them, but then closed it again as he ignored them – it looked like he was unconcerned with them sneaking out.

So far, so good.

However, the moment they were just two steps away from the exit, they jumped when a loud voice came from behind them.

“Hey! Where d‘you think you’re going?!”

“Uh oh…” Nina muttered as they spun around slowly to face the half-horse.

“Where d’you think you’re going?!” Fahl repeated.

“Uh… nowhere!” she stated, taking a chance. “We’re not going anywhere!”

Her companion stared at her; she was suddenly so bold…

Fahl seemed to be thinking deeply, as though she had said something difficult. “Nowhere… hic!” He relaxed, a dopey expression washed over his face.

“That’s right…” The princess began to back away. “We’ll be seeing you then!”

Both of them fled outside and around it, stopping only in the hidden shadows of the tent. Flattening themselves as close to the tent as possible, they waited to see if their guard would chase after them… but even after a few minutes, there hadn’t been any commotion.

“Phew, we made it, Ryu!” Nina cried, laughing. “I knew we could do it!”

Ryu nodded, grinning. “You were a bit bold there… but at least we got out!”

She smiled sheepishly. “Well, we should escape from this town before he wakes up!”

“You’re right, let’s go!”

Coming out from the shadows, they joined the crowds. Along the street they were on, there were many stalls and tents with gaudy signs, with people yelling about how great and cheap their items were. Ryu tensed up, as they drew attention from some of the people; his electric blue hair and Nina’s expensive-looking dress were not exactly helping them to blend into the crowd.

Nina, a little afraid, took Ryu’s hand. Startled, he turned a bright shade of crimson, but otherwise did not turn around to face her. Holding her hand firmly, he led her through the crowd and made sure she stayed behind him.

When they neared Genmel’s gates, they overheard part of the conversation between two very frustrated-looking travellers.

“Damn it!” one of them cursed. “Some idiot’s cargo fell on the bridge at Maekyss Gorge! Now we can’t get an early start to Wyndia!”

“Yeah, that sucks,” the other agreed. “I guess if we want to leave now, we’ll have to detour around through Mt. Boumore to the east instead…”

The first traveller shrugged. “But who’s mad enough to climb that steep mountain anyway?”

When the two children walked away, Nina seemed thoughtful. “Looks like we’ll have to go through Mt. Boumore instead of the way we took…” She smiled. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all!”

Her partner stared at her. “Climbing mountains, not a bad idea?”

“Yes, it might help give us some time to escape. They might think we’re going through the bridge, so if they took that way and found it blocked, it’ll be some time before they find us on the mountain. We might be able to get away!”

“You’re right…” He returned the smile. “C’mon, let’s go.”

As they passed the gates, it was only then when Ryu realised that they hadn’t any supplies with them. His backpack was lost when he was captured in Wyndia, and all he was left with was his short sword that Rei had given him; his only memento of his friends. There was no way he would risk going back to the criminal-infested crowd with Nina, nor did he had money, anyway.

They would have to climb the mountain the hard way.

 

* * *

 

Mt. Boumore had similar geographical terrain as Mt. Mynerg – dry, barren ground of rock – but it was even steeper and harder to climb. While the latter’s roads were worn and well-used, Mt. Boumore’s roads looked as though they had not been used for a long time. Apparently it was because the bridge was a shortcut to Wyndia.

The princess, being in the wilderness on her own for the first time, was excited. She watched the mud monsters slithering around like a snake with arms and the large birds soaring in the sky, and felt as though she was making a great discovery that no one had seen before. Yes, she knew she shouldn’t be feeling that way, since they were on the run from these bad guys, but she couldn’t help it.

Despite the situation, she felt safe with Ryu’s presence, as safe as when she was back home at the castle. From the first time they had met, she knew from her heart that he was a strong, dependable, even wonderful person, although all she could see then was a scared little boy.

Why? She had no explanation for the strong gut feeling she felt.

The journey on Mt. Boumore proved her feelings right; Ryu would protect her from anything that attacked her – pushing her out of the way of a strike, standing in between her and the monsters, making sure that none of them touched her, and even stopped as frequently as they could afford to let her rest. Nina was filled with adoration for him, and she trusted him more than anyone she had trusted before.

Before long, the sun began to set, the sky turning a deep golden-orange colour. They weren’t even a quarter-way through the mountain, but luckily, they could see a cabin not too far away from them. As they approached the building, they saw that there was a huge machine behind it, with cables that stretched all the way to the other side of the mountain.

A slightly overweighed middle-aged man was standing outside the cabin, watching the beautiful sunset as he puffed on his pipe. His balding head and brown moustache shone orange in the light, and his brown overalls over white shirt and brown boots indicated that he was a worker of some sort.

The moment he caught sight of them, a look of surprise came to his face. “What’re you kids doing up here in the mountain like this?” He paused for a moment, then shook his head. “Well, save that for later, it’s getting dark, so come on inside.”

Bewildered, both of them followed him inside without a word.

 

* * *

 

“…so, Mr. Mason, we’re trying to get away from the bad men chasing us,” Nina concluded, looking across the table in side the cabin at the middle-aged man called Mason first, then at an older man who seemed to be his assistant.

“Hm…” Mason shook his head, still smoking his pipe. “Who exactly is chasing you now, little girl?”

“Um…” She thought for a moment. “Someone named… Ba-something and… and…”

“Balio and Sunder,” Ryu helped. He wouldn’t forget those two names for a while – they were the one who got him separated from Rei and Teepo.

“Yeah, that’s it…” The princess nodded. “Balio and Sunder, those bad men are the one chasing us.”

However, Mason and his assistant jumped a little upon hearing the names. The older assistant began to shake a little. At that moment, Ryu immediately knew the names were not new to them.

The princess had noticed it as well. “Do you… know them?”

Mason recomposed himself, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t worry about them… whoever they are, they won’t come this far, now will they?”

The boy did not trust him. There was just something about the way the man moved that he felt this way, but he could not say it in front of them.

“Tomorrow, we’ll use the lift and take you where you’ll be safe. For now, you should get some sleep,” the worker continued, and gestured towards the door other than the entrance. “You can use the room over there.”

Nina nodded. “Thank you very much, Mr. Mason.”

“Goodnight, you two.”

The two children entered the door, though Ryu first glanced over his shoulder at Mason, who did not bat an eyelid. The room beyond the door was just a storage room filled with boxes of coal, but it was dry and clean enough to sleep in.

“We’re lucky we found some nice people, didn’t we, Ryu?” Nina started, smiling.

Ryu definitely did not think so, but he did not want to worry her for now. “Yeah, we sure are…” He shook his head. “Well, let’s get some sleep now, okay?”

 

* * *

 

Once Mason knew that they were asleep, however, he spoke to his assistant in a soft voice.

“…you know what to do,” was all he said.

“Yes, sir,” the older man replied. “I should be back in the morning.”

With that, he left through the door and into the dark night, letting in a slight gust of wind before the door was closed.

Mason watched him until he disappeared from sight, and then sighed slightly. “Forgive me, children, I just don’t want any trouble…”

 

* * *

 

When she woke up, Nina blinked slightly in the sunlight that shone through the nearby window, then yawned and stretched her aching limbs. Birds chirped happily outside, reflecting her own gladness from meeting nice people.

However, her partner didn’t seem to share that feeling.

Ryu was standing at the door, his eye glued to the keyhole. He had a serious expression on his face, as though there was something he didn’t quite trust. Come to think of it, he weren’t as relieved as her last night as well.

“Ryu?” she called uncertainly, walking to his side.

“Shh,” he whispered without turning. “That guy… he’s acting suspicious.” Turning away from the keyhole, he rubbed his tired eye lightly. “He looks like he’s waiting for something, and the other guy disappeared, too…”

“Why don’t we just go and ask what’s going on?” She smiled. “We need to properly thank them and–”

Then, a loud creak from the next room – presumably the front door – cut their conversation short, followed by heavy clip clops on the wooden floor.

The voice that followed made them freeze in fear.

“You got them?” Sunder’s bored voice said loudly.

Nina’s eyes widened, horrified. “Oh no! They’re here!” She shook her head, concerned. “What about Mr. Mason?!”

Taking her hand, he threw a hurried reply, “Forget him, he told them we’re here!”

“B-but–”

Sunder’s voice came through the door. “So, where are they?”

“C’mon, we’ve got to get out from here!” Ryu quickly led his companion through another door that led outside.

The first thing they saw was a great lift, which was basically a square wooden platform rigged with machinery that hung it from the thick cables, and a wooden path leading to the other side of the lift with a panel on it, presumably the lift’s controls.

Knowing that the only way out was to use the lift, Nina quickly inspected the PANEL. She had just a little bit of knowledge on machinery, and it was enough to tell her what she needed.

She turned towards him. “Ryu! Get in the lift!”

“What? What about you?” Ryu protested immediately.

“Don’t worry! It’ll be all right… I think…” She shook her head, inspecting the panel again. “It looks like it uses chrysm energy, and chrysm energy is like magic. So if I hit this with magic…”

“There you are, you pipsqueaks!” Sunder yelled from the entrance, making both of them jump. A big grin washed over his face as he glanced across the platform. “Ah, princess, there you are… you’re first!”

He started towards Nina, moving along the wooden path around the lift, but Ryu, determined to protect her, rushed forward and slashed with his sword, forcing him back.

“OWWW!!” the half-unicorn shouted. “You brat! I’m gonna kill you, Dragon or not!!”

The girl heard the noise as Ryu stalled for time, and became flustered. She had to get it to work, she had to!

“C’mon, move!” she cried, working her magic on the console. “It’ll move… I say MOVE!!” With all of her might, she threw all the magic forward, willing the machinery to move.

At first nothing happened, as though they had failed to escape this time… then, a cloud of steam came from the panel with a loud hiss. Abruptly, a beam of light shot out from within the panel, blinding the princess for a brief moment, and, to her joy, the hum of machinery filled the air as the lift began edging outwards the other side of the mountain.

With a last slash, Ryu quickly retreated from Sunder’s furious strike and leaped onto the lift. Turning around to his companion, he called anxiously, “C’mon, Nina!”

After the momentary joy of successfully making the lift work passed, panic took over her as she saw Sunder moving quickly towards her. She ran to the other side of the lift and jumped, but tripped instead. Scrambling to her feet, she quickly ran along the wooden platform in order to catch up with the lift and jump again, but to her dismay, she missed.

“No!” she exclaimed, feeling tears forming in her eyes. She could literally feel Sunder right behind her, waiting to get his hands on her.

“Nina!!” Ryu cried, reaching out as far as he could to catch her.

With her at the edge of the platform, she had only one more chance to jump.

Her eyes flaring with determination, with the will to survive, she ran a short distance along the platform. Just as the lift left the platform, she pushed herself from the edge as far as she could, her hand reaching out for Ryu…

Sunder growled and made a grab at her.

His hand narrowly missed the hem of her skirt.

But, she realised that she was too far. Too far to reach Ryu’s stretched hands…

_I… won’t make it…_

Tears slid down her cheek.

At that very moment, there was a sudden flash of memory in her mind. A fuzzy memory of a man, with gleaming cerulean blue eyes.

“ _I’ll always protect you, Nina.”_

Then it was gone. Just as suddenly as it came.

Reality flooded back into her mind, panic filling her heart.

And almost immediately, Ryu caught her hand.

“Nina!” he cried again.

She gazed up at him, tremendously relieved.

“I’m… saved…”

And, as the lift travelled merrily in the air, she could hear their captor’s frustrated voice in the back. “I can’t believe it! Not again!!”

 

* * *

 

Both of them collapsed onto the floor of the lift, breathing heavily from the adrenaline and fear. Nina felt shaky, as though she could not stand, and her heart was banging rapidly against her chest. She thought she wouldn’t have made it…

But she did. And they were here together, safe and sound.

She sat up straight, beaming. “See? I told you it’ll work!”

Ryu turned away slightly, trying to hide the tears that had formed in his eyes.

Her heart fell. “Were… you worried about me?”

“Of course I was…” He sniffed slightly. “I thought… I thought it was going to fail and I was going to lose… another friend…”

“I… I’m sorry, Ryu…” Nina sat beside him, and said truthfully, “I thought it wouldn’t work out either…”

“You did…?”

“I was scared too, I didn’t want to give you another reason to be sad for…” She turned towards him. “But I somehow know that if something went wrong…” She grinned. “…you’ll do something to protect me, Ryu!”

His face turned a bright shade of red immediately, and he stayed silent.

As Nina gazed at the clear blue sky, her mind went back to the strange flashback she had earlier…

“ _I’ll always protect you, Nina.”_

-o-o-o-o-o-

It took over an hour for the slow-moving lift to cross the huge space between two sides of Mt. Boumore. As its passengers took some much needed relaxation, they enjoyed just sitting in silence, with nothing but the sounds of birds chirping filling the air, and watching the spectacular scenery before them.

All around them was a mountain range, blocking everything else from sight. However, in the far distance to the north, they could see the faint scene of Wyndia, past the barren ground of Mt. Boumore.

Ryu gazed at Wyndia, and his fist tightened as his resolve strengthened.

Some time later, the lift eventually reached the other station, giving a loud clank and hiss as it slowed into a stationary position. Even when it stopped, the machinery continued to hum in the background, signalling that the lift could still move.

“I don’t know where we are, but…” Nina shook her head. “We should be okay once we get off the mountain.”

Ryu nodded. “Let’s go then.”

Stepping off the lift and the wooden platform that was the station, they walked down a staircase that led outside. Around them was the familiar scene of brown barren land, and some distance away, about a five-minutes’ walk, was a huge bronze gate with cliffs as walls.

The boy tried opening the gate, but it was locked. It seemed sturdy too, much sturdier than the Wyndian prison door… he didn’t think he could force it to open without breaking his bones.

Turning to Nina, he shook his head, and spied a mountain path leading away from the gate. It would take them upwards, towards the peak, but there could be a way to exit the mountain from there.

“Look, there’s another road,” he told his companion. “Let’s try going there.”

“Okay,” the princess agreed.

The path that they took was long, but rather straightforward. It bent here and there, constantly making them walk in a large zigzag manner, but it did not branch out to other paths, making it easy to follow. They continued to climb for two hours, occasionally taking short rests and fending off monsters that came for them.

Then, they stopped in their tracks, their eyes wide in disbelief.

It was a dead end.

“It’s no use, we can’t get down either way…” the princess muttered, sinking to her knees.

He had no answer, and he felt equally dejected.

Were they fated to be caught again?

Was he fated to be unable to protect what mattered to him most?

Apparently it was so.

“BINGO!!” a loud voice shouted from behind, making them jump.

To their horror, it was Sunder again, with a big satisfied grin on his face.

Dejection quickly turning to determination, Ryu stepped forward and put himself in front of his friend, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He said nothing, only glaring at his enemy.

“Always playing the hero, eh, Dragon boy?” the half-unicorn laughed. “Give it up! I’ve got all my men blocking the trails down! There’s nowhere left to run!”

Anger rose inside him.

“You can try to run, but we always get our way in the end!” He pointed a finger at the two children. “Face it, kids, that’s life… get used to it!!”

His cerulean blue eyes flared, like a beast ready to strike. He felt the familiar surge of energy inside him, from a mild sensation to burning hot flames. His skin tingled, ready to be turned into scales.

He didn’t care if she saw him in that form. He would protect her no matter what.

“Oh yeah? That’s what you think!” Nina suddenly retorted, taking her companion’s hand.

Ryu, startled, felt the energy ebb away from him. Looking at her, he saw the determination within her, a determination that rivalled his.

She turned towards him, no trace of fear on her face. “C’mon, Ryu, let’s just jump down the mountain!”

He was shocked. “J-jump?!” he cried at first. Once he got over his initial reaction, the same determination washed over him as he nodded. “It’s our only chance!”

“W-what?!!” Sunder exclaimed, but they paid him no heed as they ran to the edge of the mountain.

The girl gave one arrogant look at their captor and stuck out her tongue at him, as though to say, “Serves you right!”

Beginning to panic, he began running towards them. “Oh no! No no no NO NO!!!”

But it was too late.

Ryu, his arm around Nina, gave one last gaze at the clear blue sky before they leaped into the great ravine.

Yes, he knew he wouldn’t be able to fly. Not even in his Dragon form.

They knew fully well the dangers of the choice.

Determination.

Ryu cried out in pain as he struck the side of the mountain, an audible crack resonating through his leg. Yet, his arm held Nina protectively, desperate to keep her unharmed, while pain stabbed through his body again and again.

Pain.

To survive.

Pain.

No, to protect.

Pain.

To protect.

That was all in his mind now. The pain took a backseat to his desire to protect, a desire greater than that to survive.

Burning energy surged in his veins at lightning speed, filling every inch of his body.

With a loud sound, a blast of white light shone.

His skin, tingling with power, turned into diamond hard scales.

To protect.

Growling, he places his now-clawed feet firmly on the ground, oblivious of the pain and blood, and leaped high into the air. His small wings spread in a futile attempt to fly, his front claws held the girl in a protective hug.

Then, with a loud crash, he yelped in pain as he landed hard on the ground, an audible crack in his back.

Pain.

To protect.

She was safe. That was all that mattered.

And everything became black.

 

* * *

 

Birds chirping merrily in the trees. That was what she noticed first.

Groaning softly, Nina opened her eyes, but quickly shut them once more against the bright afternoon sun. Holding a stiff hand over her eyes, she opened them again and slowly sat up.

Her whole body ached, and she had new bruises and cuts along her arms and legs.

But she was fine.

Slowly, her mind wandered back to what happened before. They were on the lift, and they tried to escape from Sunder by jumping down the mountain…

She gasped, quickly getting to her feet as she realised her partner wasn’t with her.

“Ryu!!” she shouted, looking around frantically.

Just a few steps away, there was something on the ground she had never laid her eyes on before.

A Dragon.

It was just a small one, but a Dragon nonetheless.

And Nina knew who it was immediately.

“Oh, Ryu…!” she muttered, tears forming in her eyes as she sank to her knees.

The whelp was lying in a pool of blood, jagged wounds caused by rocks all over its body. Its eyes were closed, its wings limp. And it seemed to be not breathing.

“Ryu... what… what have I done to you…?” she sobbed, the tears sliding down her cheeks. She tried shaking him awake. “Ryu… please…”

There was no response.

“Please wake up…”

Still nothing.

“No…”

She refused to believe it. If it had meant getting caught once more, she would have rather jumped, but now Ryu… Ryu who tried his hardest to keep her safe…

Ryu, who died protecting her.

“NO!! RYU!!” she screamed, sobbing uncontrollably.

Then, there was the faint thud. The beat of a heart. Softly, weakly, like a creature that struggled to live.

It came from the Dragon.

Nina, sniffing, heard it.

Another beat.

“Ryu…?” she called softly.

The sound of a heart beating came again and again, growing louder, stronger with each beat. Then, suddenly, a bright light engulfed the whelp’s battered body, blinding the girl for a moment.

When the light faded away, the Dragon was gone… and in its place was an azure-haired boy.

“Ryu…?!” Nina breathed, unable to belief her eyes.

Ryu looked rather dazed and confused, but otherwise perfectly normal and fine. “Nina…?”

“Oh, Ryu!!” she cried, throwing herself at him.

He was surprised. “N-Nina?”

“Thank goodness… I thought… I thought you…” She sniffed.

He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about me, I’m okay.” A concerned expression washed over his face. “What about you? Are you okay?”

Still sniffing, she slowly pulled away and nodded. “I’m all right, because you turned into a Dragon and broke my fall…”

Ryu froze, his eyes wide. “You… found out…”

“Yes, but…” Shaking her head, the princess continued, “I know you’re a good Dragon. You saved me so many times, so how can I be afraid of you?” She smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Ryu. I don’t know how, but someday I’ll repay you…”

He turned red. “Y-you’re welcome.”

Giggling lightly, her spirits lifted, she leaped to her feet. “Let’s go! We don’t want them to catch us again, right?”

Ryu got to his feet as well, grinning. “Right!”

And, as they left the mountainside, they knew that from this one event, they had gotten even closer to each other.

A strong bond, growing even stronger than before.

 

* * *

 

Against the darkness of the night, the mist was like a transparent white curtain, billowing between the trees. It blanketed everyone’s sight, even the creatures that came out during the night to hunt. It was silent.

Ryu knew they were terribly lost in the mist. There was no way for him to know where they were and where to go.

But, ever since they left Mt. Boumore behind them, there was this strong feeling. A feeling that something was calling him… that something was beckoning him.

He came to a large rock, one that was at least thrice his height. To the normal traveller, there may be nothing out of ordinary on it… but to Ryu, this was what beckoning him. Following his instincts, his hand felt about the surface at the base of the rock.

“What is it, Ryu?” Nina asked, curious.

He didn’t reply. At first, all he felt was the rough surface of the rock… then the cold, smooth surface of a small crystal.

A chrysm.

_What?_

Instantly, a great burst of light engulfed everything nearby, following by a strong wind that nearly threw him away from the rock. Nina shrieked in surprise, pressing down on her skirt, but Ryu didn’t hear her.

Strong thoughts filled his head, thoughts that didn’t belong to him. Strong emotions filled his heart, fuelled by the thoughts.

A feeling of pain, of losing loved ones.

A feeling of sadness, of being unable to protect them.

A feeling of inadequate fulfilment and regret, of being unable to fulfil his heart’s desires.

Ryu understood.

His brethren, who had lost all that was important to him. Forcefully taken from him in an unforeseen circumstance.

A tear slid down his cheek, his heart overwhelmed with emotion.

_All these years… you’ve been suffering like this…?_

He shook his head, grasping the chrysm crystal close to his heart.

_I’ll free you. You don’t have to suffer like this anymore._

Words stirred in his mind, words belonging to the crystal.

“ _Thank you, my lord… seeing you appeased my mind,”_ a calm male voice spoke in his mind, filled with utmost respect yet with a tinge of sadness. _“My time may have been over a long time ago, but I still have some remaining power left in me. Please take it. As I fight alongside you, may it fulfil your desire to protect… as it failed to fulfil mine.”_

Within the bright light that still continued to engulf him, Ryu suddenly felt a burning energy from the crystal entering his veins; a power greater than his whelp form. The energy surged faster and faster, growing hotter with each circulation, until finally, Ryu could no longer hold it all in.

He screamed and threw his head upward, the energy exploding out of him. A roar of a great Dragon rang through the foggy forest, scattering birds from their nests in fright, and a strong force, unleashed from his body, shook the nearby trees.

As everything calmed, the light finally faded.

In its place was a fully grown Dragon, thrice as tall as Ryu’s human form.

This Dragon looked like the adult version of Ryu’s original young Dragon form, with a long serpentine neck and great big body with hard green scales. His legs seemed powerful, as though one stomp from it could demolish even the sturdiest house, and his great bat-like wings were built for speed in air. Even his tail looked strong enough to do a lot of damage.

The form of his brethren who had failed to protect his loved ones.

The Force Dragon.

Nina stared, surprise evident on her face, but there were no trace of fear as she called, “Ryu…?”

The Dragon turned slowly, unused to his body. He felt strong, more versatile than his whelp Dragon form, yet he felt another presence inside him. His brethren, who had sworn his power to him. Guiding him like a master would with his student.

He was glad.

_Thank you… I’ll use this form well._

He began to glow again, allowing the energy to escape from his body. His body shrunk, the scales transforming to skin, and soon he was in his human form again, moving towards Nina.

“Ryu, what happened?” she asked, curious.

At first he did not answer, as though trying to find the right words to say, but eventually he did. “I found a piece of chrysm… it held a Dragon’s spirit, and I borrowed his power while I find a way to free him.”

“I see…” She looked up at him. “But you managed to turn into a bigger Dragon this time, is it his power?”

Ryu nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” He gazed at one of his hand. “Somehow I can turn into another Dragon like this, changing into their form…” He smiled at her. “With the power of this Force Dragon, I’ll be able to protect you better, Nina.”

She smiled as well. “Thank you.”

“Well…” He looked up at the sky, which was completely covered by the thick fog. “It looks like we can’t go any further because of the fog, so I guess we’ll just have to camp here until it goes out.

“Wow, we’re really camping out?” Nina said excitedly. “I’ve never camped outside before!”

He laughed a little. “If you want a true taste of camping, why don’t you help me collect some branches for fire and fruits to eat?”

“Okay!”

As they left the rock in search of wood and food, Ryu missed the serene male voice whispered in a soft wind.

“ _Heh, glad to see you the same as ever, Ryu.”_

 

* * *

 

The winged woman continued to gaze into her magical mirror, smiling sweetly as her finger ran up and down the smooth surface of the mirror. The recent events amused her, made her rejoice.

After all, _he_ seemed as strong as ever. Even as a child.

“I said let me go!!” a high voice yelled from somewhere outside the room, making her turn.

In the darkness, a huge figure entered, silently giving a bow while holding a smaller, squirming figure firmly.

“Ah, you brought him,” the winged woman stated, satisfied. “Thank you.”

“Let me go!” the smaller person shouted, a voice belonging to a young boy, struggling hard. “Let me GO!!”

She smiled as she waved a hand lightly. “Do as he says.”

The larger figure obeyed immediately, and the boy fell onto the hard floor.

“Ow! Watch it!!” he cried, evidently irritated.

“Did you have a good journey here?” the woman asked.

“No, of course not! D’you think you’d be happy being dragged everywhere like a _damned rag doll_?!” He spat the last three words.

“No, I wouldn’t…” She remained smiling, undisturbed by his violence. “But I do hope that you’ll enjoy your time here.”

“Bah, I know I won’t! I’ve got someone to find, so I’m leaving!” He turned to leave, but the large person refused to let him go away.

“Unfortunately, this is a place where visitors can’t leave…” Her voice was still sweet, but now had a dangerous tinge.

The boy turned around, angry. “What kind of a stupid place is this?!”

“Oh, you’ll definitely find out soon enough…” She gestured towards the door. “Show him our best guest room, won’t you?”

The large figure nodded, grabbed the boy roughly and dragged him out of the room.

“Let me go!” the prisoner cried, struggling once again. “LET ME GO, DAMMIT!!”

Just as they passed a dim lamp, there was a flash of purple hair, which then disappeared back into the darkness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And don’t mind the extra forest I put, too. xP
> 
> Oh, and the Force Dragon thing? I find it awkward when the race is called Dragon but that Dragon form is also called a… well, Dragon. So I decided to rename it myself. And I decided that getting Dragon forms like in BoF4 is better for storytelling than getting Dragon genes… I mean, it’s a little awkward to describe sometimes; imagine typing, “He put the Flame and Defender gene together and poof! He became a Flame Dragon!”
> 
> So yeah. Force Dragon sounds cool… even though the Force Gene gives you the Warrior Dragon form. o_o


	10. Eight: The Genius Scientist

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Eight: The Genius Scientist**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

Her first camping night out was, of course, fun. Being a princess, she had never stayed overnight in the wilderness before, and the only time she stayed anywhere but her room was during vacation at the seaside town of Rhapala with her parents. Even though it was rather dark outside at night, she wasn’t afraid at all; with Ryu nearby, she always felt safe.

She didn’t complain when all they had were fruits, since neither of them had the heart to kill an animal to eat, nor did she complain when they had to sleep on the ground since Ryu lost his sleeping bag at Castle Wyndia when they escaped. In fact, she felt it was a fun change from the usual rich food she had at the castle, and it was fun to sleep outside with no worries of classes and duties tomorrow.

…yes, she felt she would rather be here with Ryu than at the castle as a princess.

The next morning, after they woke up to discover that the fog was gone, between the trees they saw a tall tower in the distance.

“Darn,” Ryu said, shaking his head. “If only we’ve gone a little further last night, we could’ve sought shelter there… but it’s a bad idea to walk in the fog at night.”

Nina giggled. “Don’t worry, Ryu, I had fun last night!”

He smiled. “Glad to hear it.”

It took an hour for them to find their way out of the forest (and Ryu admitted it was much easier without the fog) and to arrive at the tower’s entrance. As they climbed the stairway that led to the entrance of the tower, the first thing they saw was a large outdoor pool with carved stone sides, with a look of elegance that belonged to a rich person’s mansion. Passing it, they climbed yet another set of staircase to brown double doors that seemed to be the entrance into the tower.

“It’s a pretty big house, isn’t it?” Nina commented.

Ryu gazed upwards as well. “Yeah, nothing like the one I live in…” He turned towards her. “Maybe we can ask whoever staying here how to get back to Wyndia?”

She nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

The interior of the tower was exceedingly brown, with brown bricks forming the walls, where there were ivy growing despite the fact it was indoors, and darker bricks forming the floor that was decorated with sun-like patterns. A red sign hung on the wall just opposite the entrance door and caught their attention.

“Danger, high-grade chrysm,” Ryu read. “There are a lot of monsters that have come looking for it, so enter at your own risk. Momo.”

“That doesn’t sound nice…” his companion remarked. “What does the owner do with all that chrysm though?”

“Who knows.” He gestured towards a door at the end of the hall to the right. “There’s a door over there, so I guess that’s where we’re heading… don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

She smiled. “I know you will, Ryu!”

Despite the fact they were in a building, there were monsters – and strange-looking robots – roaming the interior as though they were in the wilderness. They sprung out of nowhere to attack the children, but they were no match for Ryu’s improving swordsmanship and Nina’s magic.

At the next floor, they saw a door to the right and a staircase to the left. They tried the door, checking if anyone was there, but all they found were two beds, some tables surrounded by chairs, and walls shielded by numerous bookshelves crammed full of books. The sheer number of books in this room alone was staggering, and Ryu found himself staring at them in awe.

“The person living here must really like reading,” Nina observed.

But there was no one here, and they went on their way.

After climbing a staircase to yet another floor, just as they turned around a corner of a hallway, they heard a sudden crash of something shattering beyond the nearest door, and then something small came out from the room.

It was a round doll with colour like a blood ruby, but unlike the dolls that Nina owned, this one was just round, with a short head, arms and legs coming from it, and it walked on its own. As it stopped near the wall, it covered the side of its head with its hands, as though it expected to hear something loud.

At that very moment, a dazzling beam of yellow light came out from the slightly ajar door, and then, the ear-shattering roar of an explosion shook the floor, causing a thin cloud of smoke to escape into the hall. Seemingly satisfied now, the doll turned and entered the room once more.

“Um… what was that?” Nina wondered.

Both of them went to the door, peeking inside, and they found the room in – though not surprisingly – a terrible mess. The walls, floor and ceiling were partly black from the explosion, and even the messy cupboards and counter were dirty. Broken pieces of glass were scattered all over, beakers on the counter were overturned and coloured liquid came seeping out from them.

At the back of the room, before the counter, was a young woman, probably around nineteen years of age. She had on a loose blue and white robe over baggy pink pants, with a matching blue scholar’s cap on her head. Her hair was fiery red, thick and long, and they were tied into two large braids that brushed the top of her brown boots. Her ears were strange, for they were not a human’s, despite the fact that she looked human, and they looked more like a bushy pink rabbit’s ears with dark ends.

At a quick glance, Nina thought her ears were feathers in her cap, and she giggled to herself when she saw how cute they were.

“Hm… I guess the key lies in somehow stabilising the pure chrysm…” the red-haired girl muttered to herself, adjusting her spectacles, then her eyes shone with an idea. “That’s it! If the gasification pressure is kept down… huh?” She turned when the small doll pulled at her robe lightly, pointing towards the duo who had just entered.

“Hi, um…” Nina started. “We just came from outsi–”

“WHAT?!!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. “YOU’RE FRIENDS OF HONEY?!! NICE TO MEET YOU!! I’M MOMO!!”

Ryu was absolutely taken aback by the high volume of her voice – he had never been yelled at that loud before.

“Ah, um…” The princess curtsied a little, searching for the right words to say. “Yes, it’s nice to meet you too, but… um, you see…”

“WHAT?!!”

“I was trying to say that… well, we’re not really friends of this… Honey, we’re just trying to find the road the Wyndia…”

They stood around in a momentary silence.

“…WHAT?!!” Momo shouted again. “I’M SORRY, MY EARS ARE RINGING AFTER THAT EXPLOSION!”

Nina sighed and turned towards her companion, shaking her head. Ryu nodded at her, as though telling her to go on with the idea, and she nodded as well, facing Momo again.

“HELLO!!” she yelled as loud as she could. “CAN YOU PLEASE SHOW US THE ROAD TO WYNDIA?!!”

At first it looked like she heard. She seemed puzzled as though she would ask why they were heading to Wyndia, and even the small doll on the floor looked hopefully at her. Ryu and Nina gazed at her as well…

“WHAT?!!” came Momo’s yell.

Ryu slapped his forehead in exasperation.

 

* * *

 

“I’m sorry, my ears are better now…” Momo stated a few minutes later, shaking her head. “So you want to go to Wyndia?”

Ryu nodded. “Yeah, we’ve gotten a little lost coming this way… can you tell us how to get there?”

She grinned. “I’ll do better than that! I’ll take you to Wyndia myself!”

“Wow, thank you!” the princess said, beaming. “Are you sure it’s not out of your way?”

“Nah, I need to go there to buy something anyway!” She paused. “Now… what was it that I need to buy again?”

The boy stared at her; she seemed a little absent-minded…

“Oh well.” Momo shrugged. “I guess I’ll remember when I get there!”

Nina gave a slight bow. “Thank you so much, I’ll be sure to make it up to you when we get to the castle!”

The older girl seemed confused. “…castle?” Almost instantly, a look of utter shock washed over her face as she staggered backwards with her mouth wide open. “W-wait a minute! When you said your name’s Nina, you mean Princess Nina?!” She bowed repeatedly. “Y-y-y-your highness! Please forgive me! I had no idea at all a-a-and–”

Talkative too, Ryu noted.

Nina shook her head. “Um, no, it’s all right, you’re helping us, after all… please call me Nina, okay?”

Momo stopped bowing as she blinked. “Are you… sure?”

“Yes! Well… I don’t really like the formalities anyway,” the princess admitted.

“Okay then!” Momo was back to her initial cheerful self. “By the way, my name is Momo, and this–” She gestured to the little doll thing that the children had caught sight of earlier. “–is Honey. She’s a machine soldier, she came looking for chrysm here, but she has no offensive capabilities, and she’s kinda cute!”

Nina nodded. “I agree, she’s really cute even though she doesn’t look anything like a doll at all!”

She grinned. “Well then, I have to get some things ready, so why don’t you rest here while I get them?”

The only boy nodded. “Thanks so much.”

She took a few steps towards the door, knelt next to the little doll on the floor, which had started sweeping the floor with a broom bigger than itself, and called, “C’mon, Honey, we’re going downstairs.”

Honey abruptly dropped the broom it was holding and jumped onto Momo’s outstretched hand. With that, the girl left the room.

“It’s good that we met a nice person for once,” Nina commented.

“Yeah, she does seem nice.” Ryu shook his head as he sat down on a clean spot on the floor. “I was getting tired of constantly meeting bad ones…”

“I suppose we would meet both good ones and bad ones…” She smiled. “And I know you’re a good person too, even though you’re a Dragon.”

He turned slightly red. “Y-you’re a good person too.”

She giggled as she sat beside him, and both of them waited for Momo to return.

It took only a few minutes for the older girl to return from wherever she went to, and she had a small bag full of items with her.

“Thanks for waiting,” she started, and then trailed off, not knowing how to continue. Then she continued, “Say… you two aren’t being followed by some scruffy-looking guys, are you?”

Nina looked confused. “Scruffy-looking… guys? No, I don’t think so… why?”

“That’s funny… when I went outside to buy something from the merchant, I saw some real rough-looking characters there…”

Ryu stood up immediately, his expression hard. “Must be Balio and Sunder’s men!” He had thought it would take them longer to find them after the incident at Mt. Boumore…

The princess seemed scared. “Oh no…”

Momo glanced at both of them and grinned. “Hey, there’s no need to be afraid!” She gestured towards the broken things on the counter. “I mean, inside this tower, I’ve been doing experiments, so there are lots of monsters here, not to mention chrysm machine soldiers, and traps to protect me from them…” She beamed, her ears perking up. “And all sorts of other things! Don’t worry, they won’t get up here so easily!”

“But… Momo…” Nina shook her head. “We were able to get this far, and we didn’t see any traps at all…”

She gasped in realisation. “Oh, that’s right! How did you get up here, anyway?”

The boy stared at her.

“Um, let’s not worry about that now…” The princess got to her feet. “We have to get out of here!”

“R-right… wait…” Momo thought for a moment. “Well, since we can’t get out by going down… let’s go up!”

“What?” Ryu said.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry!” she told them cheerfully, ushering them out of the room. “There’s a way out up there! I’m sure of it! C’mon, let’s go!”

With Momo in the lead, the trio quickly made their way towards the top floor, encountering more of those monsters and robots that the older girl had mentioned before. To the others’ surprise, her Earthquake spells were deadly and her weapon, a large portable bazooka, would fire pellets of chrysm energy that dealt a lot of damage, but very inaccurately.

From the room they had just left, they continued down the hall, ignoring a door they passed, and took a staircase. After passing two halls and another staircase, they then arrived at yet another door, which led to the strangest puzzle the two children had seen.

The puzzle consisted of four rotating colourful cubes on pedestals aligned together in a line in front of them, and beyond these four stood another one. Three of those cubes, including the isolated one, were similar while the other two were not, but the differences were so small that it was rather hard to see.

Momo grinned. “This is one of my finest puzzles!”

“How do you solve it?” Nina asked, curious.

“Oh, it’s easy! Watch!” She went over to the second pedestal from the left, pressed a switch there, and did the same to the fourth one. “There! Now we can cross!”

“Huh?” Ryu was puzzled. “That’s it?”

“That’s it,” she confirmed, leading them across the room, past the isolated pedestal. “You see, all you have to do is find the two cubes that are exactly the same as the single one… but the cubes are so colourful that people find it hard!”

“Oh… well, uh…” He disagreed with her, but decided not to say it out loud. “I guess.”

After a winding road that led through two set of staircases and another door, they arrived at a huge hall that was separated into four sections by a cross-shaped hole, which was so wide that they could not jump over and land safely.

“How do we get through here?” The princess shook her head. “I can’t jump that far…”

“You see those two panels with one blue switch and one red one?” Momo stated, gesturing to the said panels nearby. “These control the two elevators, and depending on which you flip, they’ll let you access the other parts of the floor!”

The other two doubted that this would deter their pursuers much, but they said nothing.

Every floor of the tower had many puzzles that were, sadly to say, easy to solve even for the children – lasers that could be turned off and on with a diamond-shaped crystal that ran on chrysm energy, tiles on the floor that had to be stepped in a certain order… but out of respect, they didn’t say anything about it to Momo. They just hoped that she was right in finding a way out of the tower at the top floor.

Once they had solved the last of the easy puzzles, they were free to access the stairway at the end of the top floor, which had a door that led to their destination. The first thing they saw past the door was rows and rows of bookshelves, crammed full of books, and behind that was a grey elegant desk. In the back corner of the big room was a single bed that was dusty; it seemed that it had not been used for a long time.

Momo gazed around the room with fondness in her eyes. “This is where my father used to work…”

“There’s a hidden exit in here?” Nina asked.

The older girl turned back towards them, grinning. “You bet! My dad was really something! He was the greatest engineer in the whole world, and all his inventions are the greatest!” She did not seem to notice their uncertainty as she continued, “And before he died, he told me he made an escape device and hid it in the tower!”

Ryu perked up. “There is? Where is it?”

“Well, that is…” She smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know myself.”

The other two stared at her.

“But I know where the switch is!” Momo went excitedly over to the grey desk, went around it, reached beneath it and pushed a button that was hidden under it.

Suddenly, the whole tower began to shake with a low rumble, and an alarm rang through the room. In front of the trio, two of the numerous bookshelves slid away, revealing a square hole, and a huge rocket made of a gleaming bronze-coloured metal emerged. The three of them gazed at the rocket in wonderment.

“Wow!” Momo exclaimed excitedly, her eyes shining. “Only my dad could’ve made something like this!”

Nina shook her head. “But why did he build something to get away like this?”

She shrugged. “Just because, I guess… my dad loved machines.” She grinned. “C’mon, let’s take a look at it!”

She stepped forward, examining it with an enthusiasm that the two children found themselves lacking in.

“Let’s see, we ignite it here…” she muttered to herself. “I wonder what it does…” She did a little jump. “I’m so excited! Oh boy!”

“Uh… should we board it now?” Ryu asked, a little hesitant.

“Yep, all we need to do is to hang onto it like a ladder!” She did so immediately, soon followed by the reluctant and nervous two, and put a hand over the ignition button. “Everyone ready?”

“Um…”

Even if she received less than enthusiastic replies, she continued, “Okay! Taking off in three…”

“I don’t know about this…” Nina muttered.

“…two…”

Ryu gulped.

“…one…” Momo grinned. “Here we GO!!”

The rocket gave a sudden jerk, filling the room instantly with white smoke from its bottom, then jerked once more as it slowly eased its way out of its dormant position.

“I was expecting it to immediately shoot upwards…” Ryu began.

He just had to say it.

The moment it was inches from the ceiling, it suddenly gave a violent upward lurch. Nina gave a cry as it shot through the roof and into the sky at an incredible speed, taking all their breath away for about five seconds.

Then it slowed down.

The engine spluttered.

Not good.

A chorus of screams rang through the sunny afternoon sky as the heavy vehicle fell to the earth like a great comet.

And it landed with a huge crash just outside the tower.

Dust rose for a few minutes, then settled down to reveal a wrecked rocket in the middle of a huge crater, surrounded by three people sprawled on the ground. Honey, the little robot doll, jumped out of her mistress’ pocket and nudged her arm to wake her up.

“Ah… ouch…” Momo groaned, slowly sitting up. “Looks like the landing… ouch… needs a little work…”

Satisfied, Honey moved over to Nina and nudged her the same way she did with her mistress, while Ryu let out a groan as he sat up.

Just as her younger companions stood up, Momo spied a small red book fallen beside her. “Huh? What this?” She picked it up and red the cover. “Oh, it’s the rocket’s instruction manual! Let’s see…”

Confident that they weren’t hurt, Ryu and Nina stood in front of her, curious to hear what the book had to say. However, from the red-haired girl’s embarrassed expression, they knew it wasn’t good news at all.

“Whoops!” she exclaimed. “It says there’s only supposed to be one passenger!”

Nina stared at her.

“It also says…” She looked even more sheepish. “…to make sure to open the roof hatch before takeoff…”

Ryu shook his head exasperatedly.

“Well, aside from that, it worked, didn’t it?” Momo closed the book and looked up at them. “I mean, it worked… pretty good, right?”

“No way!” both of them cried simultaneously.

“Oh well…” She shrugged as she picked up Honey from the ground, beaming. “C’mon! If we stand around all day like this, they’ll catch up with us!”

 

* * *

 

It took them less than a minute to find the road they would follow back to Wyndia, and they travelled for an hour or two before Ryu spied a small building on a hill.

“What’s that?” he asked, pointing.

“Oh, that’s the coffee shop,” Momo explained.

“A coffee shop?” Nina smiled. “Why don’t we stop for a drink?”

The boy nodded. “Good idea.”

It took another fifteen minutes or so before they were finally on the winding slope that led to top of the hill where the coffee shop is, which was just a wooden house with cloth-covered tables and chairs arranged neatly under the open sky. There were quite a few customers here, even though it was just a small place, and the waitresses seemed rather busy serving them. Ryu, who had not been in a coffee shop before, felt a little awkward standing there, as though everyone were staring at him.

Once they arrived, a middle-aged waitress there brought them to an empty table just in front of the building, and she chatted merrily with them as she took their orders.

“My, my! What darling children!” she cried, making Ryu turn a bright shade of red. “Are you stuck here as well?”

“Stuck?” Nina echoed, puzzled.

“No? Well, I asked because there are some strange fellows blocking the road and no one can get through to Wyndia…” She grinned, waving a hand nonchalantly. “Of course, that means we get more customers! Now, what would you like to drink?”

Momo ordered tea while the princess chose orange juice. Ryu, who had never taken any drinks other than plain water before, pondered a long time before finally deciding to have orange juice as well. The waitress took down the orders enthusiastically and left for the wooden house.

“Hm…” The red-haired girl seemed thoughtful. “The road’s blocked, so it must be the men who’re after you…” Waving a hand, she grinned. “Well, no point worrying about it, I’m sure they’ll give up soon enough!”

The other two doubted that it would happen, but said nothing in reply.

The trio sat silently as they waited for their drinks to come, which seemed to be taking quite some time. Soon Momo became bored and pulled out a book to read, quickly becoming engrossed with it. Ryu and Nina looked at her, wishing they had something to pass the time as well.

“Why don’t we play a game?” Nina suggested, after a moment of fidgeting.

“Huh?” Ryu blinked, not quite knowing how to answer; the only game he had ever played in his life was hide-and-seek with Nina and other kids, back in Wyndia. “What kind of game?”

“Since we don’t have any board games with us…” She thought for a while, and then beamed. “I know! Let’s play rock-paper-scissors!”

He blinked. “Rock-paper… what?”

She giggled. “Don’t worry, it’s a simple game! In each round, we’ll both count to three and show one of the three hand gestures.” She raised a fist. “This is rock…” She opened her hand, showing her palm. “…this is paper, and…” Lastly, she clenched her hand again and extended two fingers. “…this is scissors.”

Ryu was listening raptly. “Uh-huh.”

“Each gesture beats another; rock beats scissors, paper beats rock, and scissors beats paper.”

“So we count to three, and if I show scissors against your paper, I win?”

She clapped. “You’ve got it!”

He smiled. “Okay, let’s give it a try!”

She nodded. “Right! One…”

“Two…”

“THREE!!” both of them yelled simultaneously.

Ryu’s rock versus Nina’s paper.

“I win!!” Nina squealed.

“No way, how’d that happen?!” Ryu shook his head, evidently dissatisfied. “Again!!”

She giggled. “One!”

“Two!”

And together, they shouted, “THREE!!”

Ryu’s scissors versus Nina’s rock.

“No!” The boy shook his head. “Again!!”

But no matter how many rounds they played, Ryu always seemed to be on the losing end. Each round always concluded with Nina giggling (and eventually bursting into laughter) and Ryu exclaiming in disbelief.

The game went on so exciting that they did not realise when an old man, with a bald head, a white beard and a long white coat – that indicated that he was a researcher – approached their table. He faced only Momo and apparently decided to ignore the other two.

“Excuse me, but… are you Momo?” he asked in a slightly hoarse voice, yet filled with authority that usually belonged to a high-ranking person. When Momo nodded, he said, “Long time no see! It’s me, Palet!”

She seemed uncertain. “Yes, I’m Momo, but I don’t know who you are! Maybe you got the wrong Momo?”

Palet shook his head quickly. “No, no, I’m sure I got the right one! I’m the director of the plant your father built!”

At that point, the two children stopped their noisy game, listening to the conversation.

“Plant?” Ryu said, thinking of trees and shrubs.

Momo turned towards her companions. “You see, before my father died, he came up with the idea of using chrysm energy to breed stronger crops and started a project to build a plant for it, but he never saw it completed…”

“Yes, exactly!” Palet cried and then heaved a sigh. “Ever since your father Repsol passed away, we’ve been having nothing but trouble with the machines…”

She grinned unexpectedly. “I’ll bet! Only my father would be able to make and use a complex machine like that!”

The old man seemed to disagree completely with her statement, but he swallowed it in and spoke smoothly, “I won’t… or rather, I can’t deny that…” He gazed at her. “That’s why I wonder if you could help us? You’re familiar with your father’s work, aren’t you?”

She seemed rather excited. “Yes, of course I’m glad to help! I’ve been wanting to look at those machines for a long time!”

For a moment, he looked triumphant, then he put on a smile. “Oh, thank you so much, Momo! I’ll see you at the plant, then!” With that, he moved away from the table, towards the slope leading back to the road, and left without giving the other two as much as a glance.

Momo turned sheepishly at her companions. “Sorry, I should’ve asked you about it, should I?” She shook her head. “Since they’re my father’s machines, well, I thought maybe I’ll help them out a little… I mean, it’s not like we’ll be getting anywhere on the road for a while, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Nina agreed, and grinned. “If there’s anything I can help with, I’ll help!”

Ryu felt that Palet wasn’t to be trusted. He felt the same bad vibes from him as he did from Loki back in McNeil Village. Still, he said nothing, not wanting to worry his companions.

Once their drinks had arrived, they stopped their conversation and drank, relaxing in the lively atmosphere of the coffee shop. The boy found that he liked orange juice very much, and decided to order this again if he was ever here again in future.

After they were done with the drinks, Momo paid the waitress and left and led them west, along the road, then took a left turn that led to a winding path towards metal the cluster of metal buildings in the distance. Ryu somehow felt that the place seemed out of this world, as though it was a monstrosity that should not have been made, but he shrugged it off, thinking that it was just his mind playing the fool with him.

It took only ten minutes to walk to the plant, and the moment Ryu stepped into its vicinity, the first thing he saw was a wide conveyer belt, so wide that he could easily lie down across it without his feet dangling at the side. His red-haired companion explained that the conveyor belts are placed all over the plant in place of roads and stairs in order to prevent monsters from entering to look for the chrysm energy, and the trio used them to explore the area.

This place seemed to be more like a farm than anything else; Ryu saw farmers caring for plants grown in tilled soil and greenhouses, with researchers in white coats making notes on crates of fruits and vegetables, and large stacks of hay scattered around. At every patch of vegetable, however, there was a large tower-like machine with a chrysm crystal at its top, which glowed on and off as the machines drew energy from them.

“Now, where’s Palet?” Momo asked no one in particular as she looked around.

As if on cue, a loud voice came from behind them, “We’ve been expecting you, Momo!”

The three of them turned, facing the white-coated old man who came grinning at them. Ryu drew back a little; he still didn’t like the bad vibes from him…

“I tell you, it was pure luck to meet you there, Momo!” Palet continued, and then gestured to the chrysm machines. “As you know, I worked as your father’s assistant when he build these reactors, and–”

The older girl shrugged, looking a little bored. “Whatever… now, which machine needs fixing?” She was evidently itching to touch those machines.

He seemed a little annoyed at being interrupted, but soon he gave a low laugh, which Ryu felt sounded too much like Loki’s. “Heh heh heh… well, I’ve been meaning to tell you that… we managed to fix the machines ourselves.”

“What?” Nina said. “Why do you want us here then?”

With a partly-sinister grin, he gestured them to a vegetable patch nearby. “Well, take a look at this.”

He pointed to a humongous onion, which was even bigger than their heads. Its brown body was almost perfectly spherical, except that it had green leaves at its bottom and a small opening on it with a green leaf poking out of it.

“How cute…” Momo remarked, looking curiously at the plant. “What is it?”

The two children stared at her, flabbergasted… how could she find an overgrown onion cute?

Apparently Palet was just as flabbergasted as them, for he cried, “C-c-cute?! How can you say that?!”

She shrugged. “How can I not? It IS cute…”

He cleared his throat, not quite knowing how to reply to this, but decided to return to the topic at hand. “…anyway, we can’t sell failed crops like that, so we take them to the disposal area.” He heaved a distressed sigh, but it seemed put on. “But several days ago, when we collected the crops to be processed and disposed of at the dump… well, um, how should I say it…”

“You found a mutant like this one?” the red-haired girl suggested.

He perked up immediately. “Exactly! Now everyone’s afraid of it and wouldn’t go near the dump anymore.”

“Hm… what exactly happened?” She rubbed her chin. “A plant got mixed in with the chrysm ore and became a monster?”

The director nodded in agreement. “We have no idea what we should do with it…”

Momo thought for a moment, and then beamed. “All right, we’ll take care of it! I mean, it wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for my father’s reactors, right?”

Ryu shook his head; it seemed this new companion of theirs liked making decisions rashly…

“Thank you so much!!” Palet cried. “The disposal area is just west from here, and I’m sure you’d be able to take care of it perfectly!”

Momo gave a thumbs-up. “We’ll be back before you know it!”

As the trio walked away from the old man, she realised what she did and turned to her companions.

“Oops, sorry, I guess I should’ve asked you two first, huh?” she stated.

Nina shook her head and smiled. “No, it’s okay, we did agree to come here and help you after all.”

The boy nodded. “Yeah, and since you’re helping to take us to Wyndia as well, we should repay you back somehow.”

Momo grinned. “Thanks!”

 

* * *

 

Even while carrying the large onion rather awkwardly, it hardly took them five minutes to arrive at the entrance of the dump, which was actually a large cave at the foot of a mountain. Unlike the cave at Mt. Glaus, the paths in there were rather straightforward, so they faced no difficulty in navigating around aside from meeting some strange-looking monsters that shaped like either a bouncing slug, a rubbery swaying thing shaped like a finger puppet with limbs poking out of it, a round blue and grey creature with rapidly flapping mosquito wings, and a hairy creature with a single eye and a red orb on its head.

However, after a short series of caves, they soon entered a huge cave area with giant crates sitting on a long still conveyer belt, which led into a large pit of boiling hot lava; it was probably used for disposing the useless crops, so they left the large onion on it. As they ignored the great heat coming from the pit, they travelled on, eventually reaching a hole in the cavern wall that gave way to a smaller area that was completely filed up with ivy-like plants.

Right in the centre of the plants was a gigantic partly-humanoid monster, with a pink hood-like head with darkness where the eyes were, connected to a round pink and purple body. Its arms were connected to its body by something that looked like pink and red shoulder pads, and there were claws on its hands, decorated by a green band at its wrists. The lower part of its body, however, was a series of round purple and pink parts that were connected together like a chain link that swayed round and round in a circular motion.

Ryu and Nina stared upward at the mutant with their wide eyes, stunned. To think that such a thing existed…

Momo’s eyes, however, gleamed.

“Wow!” was her reaction. “Look at that! That thing is… moving!” She shook her head, grinning excitedly. “Who would’ve believe that chrysm energy could mutate a life form like this?!”

The other two had no comment.

“If my father were here to see this, what would he say? Too bad you never met him…” She then gave a soft sigh. “Oh well, it’s a shame to get rid of it, but…” She shook her head again. “I guess we should chop it up and throw it into the magma.”

Just then, a deep voice spoke softly and uncertainly, “…‘get rid of’?”

It took a moment for them to realise where the voice came from.

The plant.

They gasped and drew back in surprise.

“It… it spoke…” Ryu muttered.

“So it did!” the oldest of the three exclaimed, her eyes shining in joy. “A mutant plant that talks! What an amazing discovery!”

“…mutant plant?” the voice came again. “Am I… a mutant?”

“No!” She then hesitated for a moment. “Well… um, actually, some might call you that, but I think you’re wonderful!” She shook her head. “It’s a shame to dispose… I mean…”

It was too late; she had said the wrong thing.

The mutant’s body trembled. “‘Dispose’… you mean you’re going to kill me?” Its two arm-like limbs covered its hooded head. “Please don’t… please stop… I don’t want to die…”

Abruptly it gave a loud cry that echoed along the cavern wall, and sent a wave of dangerous-looking purple fumes at them.

Ryu reacted quickly, transforming into the large borrowed form of the Force Dragon, and threw himself right in front of the girls with a loud growl, determined to protect them, uncaring of whether their newest companion should be shocked or not. He inhaled deeply, coughing a little as the fumes touched his nose, and released a powerful flame breath that would be able to incinerate anything living.

It was so strong that it blew all of the fumes back towards its owner and burnt anything in its path, which included part of the ivy-like plants along the floor and wall of the cave as well as the body of the mutant. As the flames grew larger, the plant gave a terrible scream of pain that echoed loudly through the cave, making Nina cringe.

Pain.

The Dragon inhaled sharply, staggering slightly.

Pain burned him from the inside, like the great flames that burned his opponent.

He glowed faintly as he slowly reverted to his human form. His knees weak, he fell heavily into a sitting position, his numb hand clutching his chest. His breath came in a series of short breaths that sent pain into his lungs.

“R-Ryu!” the princess cried, kneeling beside him. “Are you okay?!”

“Ugh…” he groaned. He blinked, trying to focus his sight again, but it only grew even hazier as the pain grew.

Momo, however, acted quickly. Kneeling next to him, she examined him quickly, and her hand glowed as she cast a spell on him.

The pain subsided, and he took a deep breath. He was surprised to find the pain already gone, and that his eyes were focusing properly again. Moving his fingers, he found them no longer numb, and he looked up at Nina’s worried face.

“Ryu, are you okay?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yes, I’m okay.” He looked up at Momo and smiled in gratitude. “Thanks, Momo.”

The older girl returned the smile. “No problem! The gas you inhaled earlier seems to be a very potent poison gas, so it’s great that my Purify spell worked.” She looked thoughtful. “But I never knew you were a Dragon…”

His heart skipped a beat. Yet another person found out he was a Dragon…

Nina protested immediately. “No! Momo, don’t tell other people!” She shook her head. “Ryu’s a good Dragon!”

When Momo continued to look thoughtful, Ryu was afraid for a while… and was relieved to find her smiling.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about it. But in return…” A grin spread on her face. “You’ll have to let me study you!”

He was taken aback. “S-study?”

Nina hesitated, looking nervous. “You’re… not scared of him?”

“Who could when it’s such a scientific discovery?!” Momo’s eyes gleaming, she continued, “Dragons are the only creature to be able to change forms without any drawback or the use of tricky spell incantations and complicated chemicals!” She stopped herself. “Wait, caterpillars can turn into butterflies too, but hey, Dragons can transform instantly!”

Both Ryu and Nina were too surprised to reply to her.

However, they did not need to, for at that moment, a low groan came from the mutant, drawing their attention. All three of them gasped when they say that all that were left of the plant were its head, torso and the ivy-like plants on the wall and floor… the rest had been completely burned away.

“I’m sorry…” the deep voice came from it, softer and more subdued this time. “I couldn’t stop myself from… attacking you… my body just moved… on its own…”

“It’s… it’s okay…” the younger girl muttered woefully.

Ryu regretted putting too much power into his Dragon breath. He didn’t need to burn him that much…

“No worries!” Momo piped up cheerfully, as though she was speaking to an apologising kid who had been naughty rather than a mutant plant. “Besides, a mutant that can talk and move, it’s such an amazing discovery!” She sighed a little. “If only my father could see this…”

“Discovery…?” it echoed and shook what was left of its head. “No… you cannot tell them about me…” It hesitated for a moment, then continued, “Please, I have something to ask of you…”

 

* * *

 

It took them quite a while to move the remaining body of the plant to their destination, for it was quite heavy despite having only a head and torso. However, with all of their combined strength, they managed to carry and placed it on the still conveyer belt they saw earlier. The giant onion, the one they brought earlier, was rather small next to the mutant.

All three of them said nothing, not knowing quite well what to say… and Ryu had began to feel that deep feeling of regret in his heart, the same feeling that came when he, together with Rei and Teepo, killed the Nue…

“Are you… sure you want to do this?” Momo asked uncertainly, as she stood next to the conveyer belt.

“Yes…” The mutant shook its head. “After all, you came to ‘dispose’ of the ‘mutant’, haven’t you…?”

“But… we didn’t know you’re alive…” Nina said tearfully, her gaze focused on the ground.

“No, I should be destroyed… I was the mere result of a failed experiment… I was never meant to be born…” It turned his gaze to Ryu. “Please… turn the conveyer on…”

The boy hesitated, his mind screaming to him that it was wrong, that this decision was wrong, but knowing that there was no turning back now, he quickly flipped the switch for the conveyer belt before he changed his mind.

The mutant nodded, seeming as though smiling in gratitude. “Thank you… and farewell.”

The conveyer belt jerked for a moment before moving, bringing its passengers towards the hot lava pit.

Then Momo blurted out, “Wait! You don’t have to do this!” She did a short run along the side of the belt, following the moving plant. “I promise I won’t tell anyone about you! Just let me study you!!”

It shook its head slowly. “The desire to know is not necessarily wrong, but…” Its voice trailed away, trembling a little despite its attempt to sound calm as it headed towards the lava pit. “Remember that if you’re not careful… one mistake… and you’ll create monsters… far worse than I…”

At that very moment, as though Time had slowed down right before their eyes, the mutant hovered in mid-air for a moment before falling into the lava like a dropped rock and sizzled to its death. Ryu took a step forward and reached out with a hand, as though stop it, but it was already too late.

Another innocent creature… another death.

He turned away, his back facing the lava pit, as tears streamed down his face and dripped onto the ground.

“Why… why can’t I do a thing to change it…?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like the Nue scene, I find the last scene very sad. T_T


	11. Nine: The Contest of Champions

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Nine: The Contest of Champions**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

“PukyuKYUUUUUUU!!”

The trio snapped out of their sorrow at once, wondering what it was. As they glanced around, suddenly something large came bounding out of the lava pit, completely untouched by the lava, and landed right next to Ryu, startling him so much that he fell backwards into a sitting position.

It was the giant onion that they had brought down here to dispose, and it had apparently fallen into the lava together with the mutant. This time, however, some of its features had changed; now it had two thick red leaves-like feet, a red thin bud on its head, and a face on its brown body that was partially wrapped with green leaves.

And it was alive. Shaking its onion head.

“Hey!” Momo exclaimed. “It’s the cute little…”

“…onion,” the princess finished for her.

“Pukiiiiiiiii!!” it cried. It seemed to be angry at being thrown into the lava, for it had started throwing a tantrum like a bad-tempered child, jumping up and down and stamping its little feet, its face screwed into a scowl.

Ryu stared at this bizarre thing… which fuelled its tantrum. It pounced onto him aggressively, trying to bash into him, and he retreated with a yell, drawing out his weapon for battle.

However, his red-haired companion ran forward and stepped between him and the onion, shaking her head. “W-wait, Ryu! I’m sure the mutant entrusted this…” She took a moment to search for the right word, then finally settled on one. “…this… baby to us!”

Now he stared at her, his weapon still held in his hand. “Huh?”

“I think I understand now…” She turned towards the onion and knelt, its head hardly reaching her knees. “He left you as a reminder never to make a monster like him, hasn’t he?”

It seemed to have understood her, for it lowered its gaze to the ground with a sad expression. “Pukyu, kyu…”

“He can’t talk, can he, Momo?” Nina observed, bending beside the onion as well.

“It looks like it,” the boy agreed, sheathing his sword.

“Why don’t we take him with us?” Momo suggested. “I’m sure the mutant would want that.”

The princess nodded. “That’s a good idea!”

Ryu blinked at the proposal, and shrugged. “Um, okay, I guess…”

Momo beamed. “Then that’s settled!”

“Hm… he needs a name, doesn’t he?” Nina thought hard, and then did a little jump when she had an idea. “I know! Let’s call him Peco! I mean, he does look like an onion, right?”

“Wow, good name, Nina! Let’s call him that!”

“Do you like it, Peco?”

The newly-dubbed Peco did a little dance. “Pukiiiii!”

Ryu stared at the three of them, thinking what a strange little company he had – a child princess, an absent-minded scientist and an overgrown bouncing onion…

Who would have thought that this would happen when he had first left his home in search of Rei and Teepo?

 

* * *

 

Just as they left the cave that was the disposal area for the plant, Peco stopped unexpectedly, staring blankly as though he had realised something, and then raced away from the road towards a direction to the east where there were a lot of trees.

“H-hey!” Ryu cried out. “Where are you going?!”

“Let’s follow him!” Nina stated, and the other two nodded.

It barely took a few minutes before they came across a small grove, surrounded by a short cliff on all sides with an opening for the entrance. Thin streams of light shone down between the leaves onto the large clearing in the middle, giving the forest a magical feeling. In the clearing, there stood a magnificent tree much bigger than any other in the grove, its trunk wide and strong with age, its abundant leaves spread in all directions. Ryu could not help but to feel that, even after his long absence, this place still looked the same…

He paused, blinking.

_What? I haven’t been here before…_

“Hey, there’s Peco!” the princess cried, pointing at the base of the huge tree.

Sure enough, the onion was there, seemingly puny next to the wide trunk. He seemed to be gazing at it, with a strange fixed stare.

“What’s wrong, Peco?” Momo inquired as they stood behind him. “This tree?”

“Pui…” was Peco said, as it continued to stare at the trunk.

The boy stared upward as well, a strange feeling of familiarity washing over him… joy filled his heart, as though he had met a long lost mentor, as though he had finally came in contact with an old friend. All of a sudden, a calm yet wheezy voice spoke in his mind.

“ _Ah, you have returned, Ryu…”_ the voice stated and coughed a little, sounding like a very old man. _“Has it been that long already…?”_

“Y… Yggdrasil…” Ryu muttered unconsciously, not even realising how he had known the great tree’s name. _But I don’t remember…_

“ _I see… so your memory has been wiped out as always… and mine has not been any better, as well…”_

The leaves of the forest rustled as a soft gust of wind blew, sounding as though they were sighing.

“ _I am afraid age is catching up to me, so I am not how I used to be…”_ The voice coughed again. _“I am unable to think straight for too long now…”_

The boy shook his head, not knowing what to say to that statement, but then he suddenly remembered the strange golden orange he had found near his burnt home in Cedar Woods before he headed to Wyndia, forgotten until now. He searched his pockets, pulling out the fruit, and marvelled at the fact that it still looked as fresh as it had a few days ago, still glowing merrily like the sun.

“ _You have a Wisdom Fruit…?”_ the voice continued, sounding surprised. _“Will you… part with it to help an old man…?”_

He nodded ever so slightly and held out the fruit towards the tree. To his surprise, it faded away into green sparkles that circled once around the thick trunk of the tree before being absorbed by it.

“ _Ah, I feel rejuvenated. Thank you, Ryu.”_

Ryu continued to gaze at the tree, thoughts flashing through his mind rapidly. “If it’s okay… can you tell me how you know me…?” He shook his head slowly. “I don’t… remember…”

“ _Ah, yes… the question that will be asked at every cycle.”_ There was a slight pause. _“You will most certainly learn it as time passed, though now you are… too young to know of it yet.”_

Once again the leaves rustled in the wind, as though their owners were chorusing their agreement.

“ _You need not worry about it at such a young age. This is the time to dedicate yourself to friends and laughter, not to worry about questions and burdens that you should worry only when you are older.”_

“But… I…”

“ _Do you understand, Ryu…?”_

Ryu sniffed, feeling exceedingly disappointed, but he nodded. “O…okay…”

“ _Spend not your energy remembering, it will come in time. For now, live your life to the fullest, enjoy your childhood.”_ There was another pause. _“I could sense that you are a little tired… perhaps you should rest for today.”_

“Yeah, I will… thank you…”

“ _Farewell, Ryu, we will meet again.”_

Even as he turned to leave the grove, he still could not help but to feel disappointed, so much to the point that tears were once again threatening to fall. There were so many questions, yet no answers at all… it was rather too much for his young mind to bear, especially when that answer was further denied to him.

For the lonely Dragon, his search for his brethren would continue.

 

* * *

 

Ryu remained silent throughout the whole trek back to the plant, and he stayed that way even when they had arrived at the plant. Even though the princess knew he was the quiet type, but she still felt worried about him, thinking that perhaps the poisonous gas he had inhaled earlier was taking its toll on him. She tried to cheer him up in whatever way she could, though her attempts were futile.

When Momo spoke to the director, Palet had offered them rooms for the night, as a thank you gesture, and told them that he had a plan to get them to Wyndia. Nina felt grateful because at least her male companion could rest, and at least they could finally return to the City of Winds.

Once again like before, they took the conveyer belts around the plant area, towards the entrance where a large metal building stood, and this was where the plant workers and scientists slept as well as guests who came personally to buy crops from them. Both Ryu and Peco were given a small room of their own (though the woman there stared at the bouncing giant onion for a long time), and the girls had theirs.

The room that Nina had was nothing special – it was a small room, with two clean beds crammed into the opposite corners, with a table and a lamp between the two. The metal wall and carpeted floor gave her a strange cold feeling, as though she knew she would not enjoy her night here. That, and the fact that she felt safer when Ryu was around.

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect to hear that Palet has a plan for us to get to Wyndia!” Momo stated as she went to a bed and sat on it.

The princess nodded, sitting on the other bed. “Yes, and I’m glad to finally return to my home, it feels like it’s been a long time since I escaped with Ryu from the bad men.” She shook her head slowly, looking downcast. “But I’m worried about him…”

“Yeah, me too… and he said strange things at Yggdrasil’s forest earlier, didn’t he? Like he was talking to the tree…”

“Yeah…”

“ _If it’s okay… can you tell me why you know me…?”_ Ryu had asked then, in a voice filled with confusion, hesitation and loneliness. _“I don’t… remember…”_

_And he looked so sad after that… does this mean Yggdrasil didn’t tell him anything?_ Nina wondered.

“Of course, I was surprised when he turned into a Dragon back at the dump!” Momo abruptly said, her eyes glinting with excitement. “And they said that Dragons are amazing, but extinct!”

Nina smiled a little. “Thank you, Momo. I’m thankful that you’re not scared of him, and that you won’t tell people about him being a Dragon.” She sighed a little, sitting on the bed. “They always teach me in history class that Dragons are bad… but looking at Ryu, I feel they’re not all like that.”

She nodded. “I agree. My father has always thought of them being similar to people… some good ones and some evil ones.” She sat on her bed, a faraway look on her face. “He always told me not to trust everything that’s said, but to find out the truth by myself…”

“Do you… miss your father?”

“Very much.” She smiled. “But there’s no point dwelling on the past, right? He’s the greatest father I’ve ever known, and I’ll definitely walk in his footsteps!”

The princess smiled. “You’re strong, Momo.” _I wonder if I can be as strong one day…?_

 

* * *

 

Ryu was oblivious to the fact that for a short moment, he had been the subject of conversation to the girls then, for he had gone straight to sleep despite the fact that it was only afternoon. He had felt rather exhausted mentally, having tried to force himself to remember anything related to his life before meeting Rei and Teepo, but after resting for nearly a full day, by the next morning he was back to his more cheerful self, and Nina’s worries eased.

Breakfast consisted of stew made from beef and some vegetables grown at the plant, while Peco settled with fertiliser. However, two children glanced uneasily at their onion companion, poking their food to see if they would move, and exchanged looks when they saw Momo eating without a second thought. Did she often eat food made of these plants grown here? They shuddered at the possible answer.

Once they were done, they thanked the cook and left the building, only to find Palet together with a hooded man and a horse-drawn cart completely filled with crates and crates of plants and hay. Ryu looked suspiciously at the hooded person, for now he would not trust people who concealed themselves completely.

“Ah, there you are!” the director cried when he saw them, making the hooded man turn. “I hope that you’ve had a good night’s sleep?”

Nina nodded. “Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Palet.”

“Say, what’s this cart for?” the older girl asked, glancing curiously at the cart.

“Oh, this?” Palet spread his hands towards it, as though he was presenting an extraordinary invention. “This, Momo, is our cart. It takes our vegetables and fruits to be sold in Wyndia!”

“This cart’s going to Wyndia?” Ryu echoed, shaking his head. “Won’t the guys at the bridge stop it?”

He waved a hand nonchalantly. “No, they’ll never think of doing it, once they see it’s all plants! If you hide inside, you should be able to get by unnoticed!”

The boy still was not convinced, especially when he still felt that he could not trust him. “Won’t they check the goods on the cart?”

“But I think it’ll work…” Nina voiced out, smiling. “Don’t worry, Ryu, it’ll work!”

Momo nodded, beaming as well. “I’m sure they won’t check the goods! You do want to get to Wyndia, don’t you?”

“Well, of course I do, but–” Ryu started, but she interrupted him.

“All right then, it’s settled!” She grinned, glancing at Nina then back at him. “Let’s go!”

“Pukyukyu!” Peco cried, bouncing up and down.

He sighed – they had been lucky in eluding the half-unicorns so far, but they would not be so fortunate all the time…

Once they had hidden themselves among the hay, the hooded man sat at the front of the cart and whipped the horse. As the cart started moving towards its destination, they discovered that they had forgotten Honey, who was running after the cart on the road. The little miniature doll made a quick sprint before making a leap onto the cart, squirming herself through the hay to get to her owner, then indignantly sat herself on her knee.

However, as soon as they were out of sight, Palet grinned to himself, a slow, evil grin filled with satisfaction.

“Heh heh… whew, I was lucky that the ones Balio and Sunder are after turn out to be Momo and her friends!” He stroked his white beard. “Those two will take care of them for me… then no one will ever need to learn about the mutant plant!”

And he laughed.

 

* * *

 

It took about half a day before the slow-moving cart finally neared the bridge next to Eygnock Road, which split and led to both Wyndia and Genmel. Ryu felt rather stiff sitting still among the crated fruits and vegetables and actually felt like turning into the Force Dragon and fly in the air, but of course, that would certainly not be a good idea.

“Man, this is taking a long time…” Momo complained.

“Whose bright idea was it anyway?” the boy replied softly, shaking his head. “I don’t really know if it’d work…”

Nina tried to smile, but she looked a little nervous. “I’m sure it would. I mean, Mr. Palet went through the trouble of getting us a cart…”

_Not to mention there’s something about him that I don’t like,_ Ryu thought.

Suddenly, the cart suddenly slowed to a stop, and the hooded man suddenly hissed at them in a low voice.

“They’re coming, hide!”

Ryu stayed absolutely still, almost not daring to breathe, as he heard the approaching sound of hooves clip-clopping near the cart. There was silence for a while as nothing moved or made a sound, except that he thought he had heard faint mutterings from outside.

Soon, Sunder’s loud voice spoke, “Hooooold it! No one gets by here now!”

“Um… this… is a shipment from the plant to Wyndia…” the hooded person explained, in a hesitant voice filled with fear.

“Shipment, huh? Well, you can go home now, I’ll take it from here…” He neighed in laughter. “Now scram!!”

Hurried footsteps that led away from the cart indicated that the cart-driver ran for his life, leaving them alone. Ryu shivered – had the plan failed?

“Don’t worry!” the half-unicorn yelled after the fleeing man. “I’ll take good care of it! Hahahaha!!”

Suddenly he gave a huge kick to the side of the cart, so powerful that it overturned the whole thing completely, and it even forced the horse down to its side. Crates fell and fruits and vegetables rolled all over the ground, scattered among the four who had been hiding in there. Ignoring the pitiful neighs of the horse, Sunder motioned to his men to surround them as he approached his targets, smirking.

“You’re in for it now, you little squirt!” he cried triumphantly. “You won’t be getting away this time!”

Ryu gritted his teeth, but it was no use; they were completely surrounded, and his companions might get hurt if he transformed into a Dragon…

“Oh no… Ryu…” Nina said fearfully.

Momo shook her head. “Guess it didn’t work…”

 

* * *

 

Just like before, the prisoners were brought to the arena town, though this time they travelled by foot and it took them two and a half days to get there. They would have gotten there sooner, but as the three of them were bound with strong ropes, they were only able to move slower than they normally could.

As soon as they had arrived in Genmel, they were marched straight to the only stone building at the opposite end of the vicinity. It was a huge place built completely of stone, with the size of a palace, but not as heavily decorated as a real palace would be – there were a few rugs here and there as well as posters of past champions, but that was all.

They did not get to see much of the Arena as Sunder marched them immediately down a path branching from the main hall, leading towards a lone door at its end. Inside was a desk, a chair and three bookshelves, which indicated that it was some sort of an office, and the blue-haired brother was sitting behind the desk.

“I got them, bro!” Sunder cried triumphantly.

“Good work, I knew you could handle it.” Balio looked over his prisoners, a satisfied smirk on his face. “So, kids… I hope this has shown you how the world works.”

The boy remained silent, but inside him, hatred boiling inside him like a storm. Ever since they had appeared in his life, they had stopped at nothing to take away all of his friends… to make him miserable.

_People like this… deserve to be punished._

“The strong get what they want, and the weak can’t do anything about it…” Balio continued, glancing at them one by one. “Just like in the Contest of Champions.”

“You’re right, bro!” his brother piped up from behind them.

At that very moment, a look of determination washed over Nina’s face, just like the time when she had suggested jumping down the side of Mt. Boumore. Sunder, having already seen that look on her before, gazed cautiously at her.

“So, if we enter the Contest and win…” She shook her head. “Then we’ll be strong and get what we want too; to be set free!”

“What?” Ryu and Momo said together, but their voices were completely drowned by Sunder’s loud exclamation.

“WHAT?! You want to enter the Contest?!” He snarled, taking a step towards her. “Look here, we’ve been nice to you so far ‘cause you’re worth a lot of money to us, but there’s a limit to how far we can be pushed!”

He took another step towards her, but Ryu, whose wrists were still tied together, put himself before the princess, his expression serious – despite everything, he still wanted to protect her.

“Just give up and stop struggling!” Sunder declared, pointing a finger at him. “I’m tired of you, brat, and I’ll get rid of you and everyone else!” With a sneer at Nina, he added, “But don’t worry, Princess, I won’t touch you…”

“No way! I won’t let you hurt anyone!” she stated boldly, standing beside her male companion. “Let us enter the Contest!!”

He snarled again. “SHUT UP!! That’s it, I’ll just get rid of you now!!”

“Hold it, Sunder…” Balio shook his head, gazing intently at his four prisoners. “It might just not be a bad idea after all…”

Somehow he had a calming touch on his brother, for Sunder turned around and spoke as though the outburst earlier did not happen. “It’s a waste of time, bro, if they enter, there ain’t no one who’ll think they can… wait a sec…”

He nodded. “Exactly, bro. No one will bet on them, which means that if they do win, we’ll make that much more money…” He suddenly gave his neighing laugh, and smirked again. “All right, Princess, we’ll let you enter the Contest, and I’ll even be nice enough to let you loose until it starts tomorrow morning.”

Ryu stared at him – he had not expected that at all.

“You can train, buy stuff, do whatever you want,” Balio continued, then lowered his voice to a dangerous tone. “But don’t even think about running away… we’ve got the road guarded tight, and we’ll keep one of you here as a hostage.”

“Boy, you sure are clever, bro, I never would’ve thought of that…” his brother laughed, then grabbed Peco by the bud on his head and threw him into the square cage that stood nearby.

“Puuuuui!!” the onion squealed.

“Peco!” Nina cried and started moving towards him, but Momo put a hand to her shoulder, shaking her head.

“Heh, it’ll be a lot worse than that if you lose!” Sunder scoffed.

“Well, we’re counting on you to put up a good fight for us,” Balio stated as he locked the cage properly. “After all, you gave us enough trouble.” He twirled the cage key on one finger. “If you lose, however…” He threw the key lightly into the air and grabbed it tightly. “… it’s the end for you. Got it?”

Anger burned within Ryu, but he said nothing.

 

* * *

 

To get a better idea of what would be coming at them during the competition, the trio explored the interior of the Arena and even visited all three of the battlefield that they would fight on – the Hall of Fire, the Null Magic Hall, and the Hall of Kings.

The Hall of Fire consisted of a platform just three feet away above the surface of the lava pit, while the Hall of Kings was nothing but a long bronze platform leading across a huge hole. On the other hand, the Null Magic Hall was a hall with strange coloured patterns engraved onto its stone floor and walls with high spectator platforms, and somehow Ryu felt a little drained just being in there… perhaps this hall was really “null magic” as its name suggested. Even though all three battle halls looked different, all of them were surrounded by high stone platforms, where the spectators would stand and watch the battle when the Contest starts.

Ryu felt disgusted when he saw so many people already gathered in the main hall of the Arena, all waiting in line to get the best positions to watch the battles, and even more so when he saw how eager they looked. He disliked the sinister looks they all had, as though they were criminals or those who would gamble their money away, but more than that, he hated the fact that they enjoyed seeing others getting hurt. More than his hatred for the half-unicorns.

_A world so corrupted…_

“Ryu?” Nina suddenly called, looking concerned. “You’re so quiet…”

“Huh? Oh…” He was surprised, but he recomposed himself and shook his head, smiling slightly. “Don’t worry about me, I’m just thinking about tomorrow.”

“I see…” She gazed at him, not looking quite determined now. “Can we really win? Can we really be free? Poor Peco’s locked in there all alone, and I don’t even know if we could get our freedom…”

“I’m sure we will!” Momo spoke for the first time in a while, smiling cheerfully. “I mean, we have a Dragon on our team!”

Ryu’s expression fell, and he averted their eyes. “No, we won’t be…” Sighing softly, he explained, “I don’t want to scare everyone right out by turning into a Dragon, so…”

A look of realisation came onto her face. “Oh yeah…”

The princess smiled. “It’s okay, I understand. But don’t worry, you’re strong enough even without turning into a Dragon.”

He returned the smile. “Thanks.” He glanced at both of them, one at a time. “Well, why don’t we get some practice for tomorrow? Not that we’d get that much better in just one day, but you never know, right?”

 

* * *

 

It was the morning of the Contest. After breakfast at the inn and a quick visit to Peco (Momo allowed herself to be the temporary hostage while the others took their onion companion outside for his own breakfast), Ryu, Nina and Momo entered the Arena, wondering where to go.

Ryu saw more of those scruffy-looking people who had the air of someone heavily in debt, and among them were the competitors, each one looking confident and strong. The azure-haired boy felt nervous as he placed a hand lightly on the hilt of his short sword, wondering if he could even stand a chance against them.

“Hm… we’re in the eighth battle in the Hall of Fire,” Momo stated as she observed the huge tablet in the main hall, which showed the names of the contestants with several lines leading to the top where the picture of a trophy situated.

Nina looked at the tablet as well, curious. “Are there many people taking part?”

“One hundred and twenty-eight teams, if I’m not wrong, though some teams consist of only one person…”

“Wow, that’s still a lot of people! Are we going to fight them all?”

The older girl shook her head. “Oh, no, we won’t be…” She gestured to the numerous lines leading upwards from the contestant names. “You see those lines that connect two teams each? That means these two teams will fight and the winning one advances the line.”

“Ah, I see…”

“Hey…” Ryu, who had been staring at the tablet while listening, suddenly spoke, sounding bewildered. “How come it says here ‘Team Ryu’? I’m not the leader…”

The princess beamed. “Of course you are! You’re the strongest among us!”

“B-but I had help from you guys…”

“You’re still the strongest, Ryu!”

Momo grinned. “Just accept the position, won’t you? You’re the best candidate for it anyway!”

The boy was about to protest, but then he gave in and gave a soft sigh of exasperation. “Um, okay… thanks…”

“Let’s go then, Mr. Leader!” Nina piped up, grinning now.

He turned red, not quite knowing what to answer.

It took them only a few minutes to navigate around and find the waiting rooms for the Hall of Fire, where the first round of contestants was waiting. Once again Ryu felt nervous, wondering how strong they were compared to him, but he tried not to show it to his companions. After all, they had trusted him enough to make him their leader… and he would not let them down.

It was estimated that the battles before their turn would take a long time, so the trio left the waiting room for the spectator area of the Hall of Fire to watch the battles. The first round of the Contest was team battles, three versus three, and to Ryu’s surprise, some of the contestants were absolutely horrible, as though they were newly accepted students of masters, and they were easily trashed by the opposing team within seconds. Because of this, the first seven fights took much less time than the trio had thought.

Soon, Nina turned to the other two and stated, “Shouldn’t we go to the waiting room now?”

“I thought we’re only going when it’s the seventh fight?” Momo asked.

The boy blinked. “Um… it IS the seventh fight now.”

“What? It is?” She looked blanked for a moment, then she smiled and spoke cheerily as though she hadn’t forgotten at all. “Well then, what are we waiting for? C’mon!”

The two children exchanged looks before going after her. Just as they turned around a corner in the hall and were about to enter the waiting room, however, Ryu suddenly caught sight of a familiar large figure – Garr, heading towards the Hall of Kings… was he a contestant as well? The boy shivered, hoping that he would not have to fight him…

“Ryu?” Nina called from the waiting room. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, um… it’s nothing.” He shook his head and joined the others.

The attendant was a man dressed in full armour, and he went on a long time about the rules and regulations of the battles. Ryu nodded as he listened, making up his mind not to violate any at all, but the roars of the crowd were distracting and made him extremely nervous. Somehow it felt worse being in here than at the spectator area.

Once a few minutes had passed, the heightened cheer from outside indicated that the battle was over and above it came the announcer’s booming voice, announcing – or rather, yelling – the winning team. After the audience had settled down a moment later, he then proceeded to call the next team.

“Now, let us welcome the teams for Battle Eight of Round One! On the south side, Team Ryu!!”

There was another chorus of cheers as the trio slowly stepped out nervously, though Ryu tried to look calm and confident to his companions. However, his nervousness and dislike for attention and excitement together made him fail utterly.

“On the north side, Team Bor!!”

The boy stared at the open gates before him, wondering how his opponents would look like and if they were strong, but when they came out, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him; all three of the opposite team were as alike as peas. They were all short and skinny, wore brown and beige adventuring clothes, and had mousey brown hair that framed their rough faces. They grinned evilly, giving Ryu the impression that they were thieves.

“Ready, teams!” the announcer yelled. “Aaaaaand… FIGHT!!”

“Heh, y’all are just a bunch o’ kids!” the middle man sneered, pointing a finger at the children as he glanced at his brothers at his sides. “Go get them, yer two!!”

“Hey, Bor!” the one on his left called. “Who died ‘n made ye boss, huh?!”

“Yeah!” the third one piped up. “Ye ain’t the boss!”

“Whaddya mean I ain’t the boss?!” Bor flared, turning around to face them. “The team’s called Team Bor, ain’t it?! Y’all are just the lackey, so shaddap and get to work!!”

“Let’s get ‘im!!”

And to everyone’s surprise, the three of them started a brawl, punching and kicking each other with Ryu’s team forgotten.

“Wait, what’s up with Team Bor?!” the commentator yelled as the crowd booed loudly. “They’re fighting with each other!!”

“Oh, bother…” Ryu shook his head in exasperation. “Can’t we just get started?”

“I don’t think they’ll listen…” Nina remarked.

Momo beamed, as though she had a great idea, and she aimed her chrysm cannon at their squabbling opponents, speaking cheerfully, “Well, good contestants never waste their audience’s time!”

Everyone – excluding the Team Bor members – gasped when she fired her weapon, and the spot just inches from her targets’ feet suddenly exploded as though they had stepped on a land mine. All that was heard from the midst of the thick smoke was a chorus of cries, followed by silence, and once the smoke dispersed, they had collapsed on the floor in a heap, unconscious. Momo’s cannon often missed, but definitely packed a punch if it hit!

“Well I’ll be!!” the commentator’s booming voice came again. “Team Ryu WON!!”

As with the other winners, the crowd cheered loudly, though there were many who booed for they had lost money in the bet. Ryu, uncomfortable with all this attention, quickly made his way back into the waiting room, followed by Nina and an enthusiastic Momo.

“Congratulations!” the attendant said when they entered. “You made it to Round Two!”

“Oh, well, it was nothing, the opponents were arguing,” the princess replied honestly.

“All the same, you won, and who’d think that some kids would be able to do that?” He gestured towards a direction. “Anyway, you’re in the fourth battle tomorrow, in the Null Magic Hall! Good luck!”

“Thanks,” Momo stated, nodding.

With that, they left the waiting room, deciding to go and train since it was still morning. However, as Ryu passed by a particular hall, he saw a small purple-haired girl, younger than himself, clinging on a woman’s dress. Both of them wore clean clothes, but so old and worn that there were patches all over the cloth.

“Mommy, Daddy’s gonna win, won’t he? Won’t he?” the girl kept asking, coughing terribly as she did.

“Don’t worry, Lyla,” the woman spoke, stroking her daughter’s head with a sad smile. “Daddy’s gonna win for you.”

_Someone’s here fighting for his daughter…?_

He did not have much time to think about it, for his companions were already quite far ahead. They headed past the town gates and into the huge barren field there, to fight on monsters as part of their training in preparation for tomorrow. They just might not be so lucky in the coming battles…

Ryu trained as hard as he could, determined to be strong enough to emerge victorious in every round in order to gain freedom for his companions. Each time he swung his blade, he would think of how important it was to protect Nina and to free Momo and Peco from this mess that did not concern them. Each time he struck a monster, his determination rose.

They trained hard, but as evening approached, Nina and Momo went to get their onion companion to give him fertiliser again – with the princess as the hostage this time – while Ryu hung around the entrance of the hall that led to Balio’s office so that he could rush to Nina’s rescue if anything happened to her.

People came and went, though more entered than those who left, and Ryu hardly took any notice of them, keeping his ears open for Nina’s cries. It was then when a man approached him, slowly and hesitantly. He had messy purple hair and such worn red and green clothes that had several patches, but however, he did not look as dirty as some poor people could get. What caught Ryu’s attention most was, unlike most of the people in the Arena, the kind but sad look on his face.

“Excuse me… you’re Ryu, aren’t you?” he asked softly.

The boy looked up, surprised. “How did… you know my name?”

He looked sheepish. “Well, I’ve seen you and the other two fight in the Hall of Fire early this morning, so…” He smiled. “I’m Emitai, and it seems that we’re fighting each other tomorrow in the Null Magic Hall. But you look like a capable boy, and I’m sure you’re stronger than you look.”

He turned red at this unexpected comment. “Um, thanks… and you look pretty strong yourself.”

“Well, I don’t receive many compliments everyday… but thanks.” His smile then faded away as he began to look worried. “I… hate to tell you this, but…” He shook his head. “You see, my daughter’s really sick, and if I don’t win this contest and get the prize money, she won’t be able to have the operation she needs…”

As Emitai spoke, Ryu remembered the girl and her mother that he had seen in a passing hall earlier, and that the girl was coughing badly. He pitied this man; he knew that it was terrible knowing that a loved one was sick, yet being unable to help… he himself had felt just as helpless when he, Rei and Teepo were attacked back at Cedar Woods.

“I’m… sorry to hear that…” Then he stopped, looking up. “Wait… do you mean that you want us to… lose to you on purpose?”

Emitai lowered his head. “I know it’s a hard thing to ask you…” He sighed, looking as though he was holding back tears. Quite suddenly, he raised both his hands, which glowed, and two small boys, a little shorter than Ryu himself and wrapped completely in patched sets of clothing, appeared in a slight burst of light.

“I have faith in my magic,” he stated softly. “That’s why I joined this Contest, but I was unlucky enough to be thrown into the Null Magic Hall, where I’m just like everyone else… I’ll only be able to depend on my golem boys here…”

“Give Emitai win! Please, please!” the ‘golems’ spoke in high voices similar to a bird’s.

He gazed sadly at the floor. “I just don’t want my daughter to die…”

“I’m... sorry, Emitai, but…” The boy stopped, not quite knowing how to continue. Then, slowly, he continued, “…you see, a friend of mine’s held hostage, and we’re forced to fight here… and… I have someone to protect…”

A dejected expression washed over Emitai’s face. “Oh… I didn’t know that… sorry for your trouble…” He went away slowly with his golem boys trotting after him, seemingly in a daze as he muttered to himself, “I’m sorry, Lyla… please forgive your poor father…”

Ryu turned away, facing the wall. Tears threatened to fall, but he kept them in.

This world was a cruel place, and he knew that… especially after the Nue and the mutant plant’s deaths.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the first battle, I decided not to put Patrio and gang because… well, I’d rather not go through three different battles. I’m lazy like that. xP


	12. Ten: End of the Stallion Saga

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Ten: End of the Stallion Saga**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

“Ladies and gentlemen!” the commentator roared. “In Round Two, Battle Four, it’s Team Ryu versus Team Emitai!!”

The boy sighed as he stepped out of the waiting room and into the Null Magic Hall, dreading this battle ever since he had spoken to Emitai. He was to fight someone who was trying to save his daughter, all to protect another… why, why must it turn out like this?

Nina and Momo looked at him in concern, not knowing about the conversation the day before as Ryu did not tell them about it. What was the point of telling them about it and making them worry? He felt that if they actually emerged victorious in this round, only one of them would need to feel bad…

“Say, what happened to Emitai? He’s not out yet!” the announcer remarked. “Mr. Emitai! Please come to the ring!”

“All right!” the familiar voice called from the other gate. “I’m coming!”

Suddenly, the ground started shaking and rumbling as though there was an earthquake, forcing everyone to try to balance themselves, and in the midst of it, three figures appeared in the opposite side of the Null Magic Hall. The one at the back was Emitai, looking determined, and his two team mates were…

The commentator gave a loud gasp. “Oh my god! Monsters?!”

True enough, Emitai had chosen two giant monsters as his companions. They looked rather like trolls, huge, green and muscled, with heads of a green bat. They had golden chains around their wrists, clothes that covered the lower parts of their body, and their fists that were much bigger than Ryu’s head looked as though they could break through walls easily.

Emitai shook his head as he stood behind the two monsters. “Just like I said, I can’t do anything in this hall, so I’ll just have to let my boys do the fighting for me.”

Ryu stared at the monsters. _Those two… not the golem boys that he summoned yesterday?!_

“B-boys?! W-well, I suppose that’s not against the rules, so…” Abruptly the commentator raised his voice, making everyone jump. “Team Ryu versus Team Emitai, ready! Aaaaaaaand… FIGHT!!”

The golems roared and made way for Nina first, but however, Ryu immediately put himself between them and her, drawing out his sword. He charged forward, right in between the fists of the two monsters, attempting to lead them away from her. He was successful, for they pursued him immediately, though they kept missing him because he was fast enough to dodge their painful punches.

For a long time he led them all over the battlefield in a wild goose chase, occasionally striking back, while Emitai stood back and watched warily. As time passed, however, Ryu knew that he could not battle both golems at once, and he began to think frantically of a way to defeat them.

Nina could not do anything to help as she was unable to use any of her spells, but Momo had been trying to aim properly with her inaccurate bazooka, though she managed to hit twice.

“Oh, for chrysm’s sake, I need to improve the accuracy on this thing!” the scientist declared as she fired another, hoping hard that it would hit.

The chrysm pellet missed the golems completely, but however, Emitai gave a loud cry as it blasted right in his face and, being physically weak, he was down immediately. Then, the golems were unexpectedly out of control; they no longer pursued Ryu, but struck each other instead!

“W-what?” the boy said, as he backed away.

These two monsters took turns punching the other, as though they were boxers in a ring instead of partners in a team. The children winced when they saw how strong each punch looked, and they stayed back in fear of being hit as well, though it did not take long for the green creatures to knock each other out, leaving their master on the battlefield.

“Ugh…” Emitai groaned as he attempted to get up, but fell back down to the ground. “Oh… Lyla… I’m sorry…” After that, he fell unconscious.

There was silence for a long time as the audience remained shocked, not quite believing that mere children were able to defeat such huge monsters. Then, the commentator’s loud voice boomed again.

“Wow! That was amazing! Let’s give Team Ryu a great round of applause!!”

As though a valve had been released, a roar of cheers and applause burst from the spectators after their initial surprise. It took a long time before they would calm down enough for the next round to start, and by then Ryu and the other two were already in the waiting room.

“I’m so glad we won!” the princess stated, smiling. “That’s two rounds so far, I hope we’ll be able to win all of it!”

“I guess it was a good idea to make Ryu here our leader, wasn’t it?” Momo said, grinning.

The boy simply could not say a word, for guilt and remorse weighed heavily on his heart.

Nina immediately looked concerned. “Ryu? You’ve been really quiet since yesterday…”

He tried to smile and only just managed. “Don’t worry about me, I just feel a little drained. I’ll be okay with just a little rest.”

“Are you sure…?” Her concerned expression did not change.

He nodded. “I’m sure. Why don’t you go take Peco for a walk or something? I’ll just rest here a moment longer and I’ll join you somewhere later.”

She smiled slightly and nodded. “Okay, but don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“I won’t, don’t worry.”

He gave a wave with one hand as they left, then sighed as he leaned against the cold stone wall, sitting on the bed. Feelings of guilt and remorse continued to whirl inside him, enough to even make him feel a little nauseous, and it reminded him of the time when he killed the Nue and the mutant plant…

Was it because he was a Dragon that trouble followed him?

“ _No!”_ Nina would say. _“You’re not a bad Dragon!”_

Ryu chuckled lightly at the thought, which made him feel slightly better, and jumped off the bed. He was ready for the day’s training, though he had one thing to do first…

 

* * *

 

“Dammit!” Emitai cursed. “I didn’t expect it to end so quickly!”

He was sitting up in bed, a bandage around his head, and the two little boys that the golems had transformed into upon defeat stood by the foot of the bed. His purple-haired daughter lay by his side, worried for him, and his wife treated his wounds.

“Shame on you!” his wife scolded. “Didn’t you say this would be an easy win? Only the second round and you already lost! And to some unknown kids, no less!”

“It’s not my fault I got put into the Null Magic Hall!” the sorcerer retaliated. “I tried giving them the same sob story, but they didn’t take the bait; they said something about their friend being a hostage!”

“Stop making excuses!!” she shrieked. “Because of you, we won’t have any money this month!”

The moment she finished her sentence, they heard a clatter by the door and turned sharply. Then, their eyes widened in shock.

Ryu was standing there. A small pouch lay on the floor by his foot, with several zenny coins falling out.

Had he heard everything?

By the grim expression on his face and the glare in his eyes, he had.

“Oh, h-hi there, Ryu,” Emitai greeted nervously, hoping it was his imagination. “Why are you here?”

Ryu did not immediately reply. He took a few steps into the room, his eyes focused on Emitai, and he spoke in a low voice.

“You were… lying?”

The sorcerer jumped. “N-no! Of course not! Why would I l-lie to you?”

“…you’re the same. You’re just like all the people out there.” His eyes flashed with anger, as a burst of light came from him. “Do you like seeing people SUFFER?!!”

“W-what?!” Emitai exclaimed, backing up into the wall.

“S-save us!!” his wife shrieked, running into a corner.

Ryu glared at the couple, his eyes flashing a great golden colour, white light circling his body. From the ends of his hair, a golden colour grew like the sun rising above the horizon.

Emitai’s daughter sobbed loudly, clinging onto her father in fear.

Surprised, Ryu stopped, the light around him fading away, the golden colour disappearing from his eyes and hair. At first, he watched as the girl buried her face in her father’s shirt, the anger drained from him as quickly as water pouring from a jug. For a fleeting moment, pity washed over his face, then he turned away.

Picking up the bag of coins that might have been intended for the family, he left quietly.

Emitai gave a huge sigh of relief, and his wife sank weakly to her knees.

They were saved.

The Contest of Champions was definitely a dangerous business.

 

* * *

 

Ryu said nothing about ever meeting Emitai and his family to his companions at all, preferring to keep it a secret from them. Watching the girls laughing and giggling together as though they were on a field trip rather than training for their upcoming battles, he had not the heart to remind them of the corruption that stood strong in Genmel. It only helped to strengthen his determination to get them out of this mess.

The Contest of Champions continued for days, and the battles grew exceedingly harder with each round, but they were able to emerge victorious against all odds all the way to Round Seven. It was Ryu who did the most damage, however, for constant training had made him as fast and powerful as a grown warrior could be. That, and the fact that he had the blood of the Dragon flowing in his veins.

Just one more battle and they would be free.

Right after their victory in Round Six, the semi-finals, Sunder barged into their waiting room with a huge grin and a loud greeting.

“Hey, brats! Pretty impressive! You actually made it into the finals!” He spoke triumphantly, as though it had been him who had won.

“We don’t need your compliments,” Ryu said quietly, tired of him. “We just want you to keep your promise.”

He laughed, as though the boy had said a joke. “Well, that depends whether you can beat Garr in the finals or not, see? Don’t look so glum! Gotta please your fans, you know!” He turned to leave, his green tail swishing, but then stopped to glance over one shoulder at them. “Make sure you do well in tomorrow’s fight, Dragon boy… it might be your last!” He cackled loudly as he left, his voice echoing down the hall.

The remaining three stayed quiet for a moment, then Nina broke the silence.

“Ryu… will we be able to win?” she asked uncertainly. “Will we finally be free?”

The boy smiled, defying the heavy weight in his heart. “Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to give it my all… no matter what, I’ll protect you, Nina.”

But in his heart, all the negative feelings raged, and even he doubted himself.

_Can I… do it…?_

 

* * *

 

Balio smirked as he strode along the hall towards the waiting room of the Hall of Kings, thinking gleefully of how much money he made from entering that Dragon brat in the Contest. Sure, he had given a lot of trouble ever since the brothers had dragged him to Wyndia to show him the King, but in the end they were able to show him how the world, where the strong prevailed, worked. Once the Contest was over, though, they would have to get rid of him…

Sunder came up behind his brother just as they arrived at the waiting room, and they grinned as they pushed the door. Inside, the massive form belonging to Garr was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closed and his halberd leaning silently against the wall – meditating, perhaps. He did not look up when they entered, nor did he react when they started speaking to him.

“So, Garr!” Sunder started in his usually loud voice. “Feeling excited about winning this fight?”

“…this battle is naught but training to fulfil my goal,” Garr’s deep voice replied as he opened his eyes. “Is my answer your only purpose?”

He was taken aback. “Uh…”

“That’s not it, Garr,” Balio quickly answered, shaking his head. “We came to see how you are before the battle…” He forced a grin. “It looks like you’re confident as ever, huh?”

“Perhaps so.” The winged man slowly stood up, his form towering over the half-unicorns as he reached for his halberd. “But do tell me about this boy I am to do battle…” He turned towards them. “From whence did he come? Is he not rather young to be so strong a warrior?”

“Well, it’s like this…” Balio stood nearer, as though he did not want anyone to hear. “He looks like any other kid… but he’s really a Dragon.”

“…a Dragon?” There was a hint of interest in his voice.

Sunder waved a hand nonchalantly. “Hey, he’s nothing for you to worry about, right? I mean, he’s just a kid!”

At that moment, the commentator’s voice boomed all over the hall outside, followed by a great cheer from the audience.

“Well, it’s starting. C’mon, Sunder.” The blue-haired brother went to the door. “Be careful, Garr, but like we said, it’s nothing for you to worry about, right?”

Once both half-unicorns had gone out of the room, Garr shut his eyes.

“A Dragon… mayhap my last…”

 

* * *

 

“Ladiiiiiieeesss aaaaaaand gentlemeeeeeen!!” the announcer yelled at the top of his lungs, clearly excited about the finals. “This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for; the BIG event! The final round of the world-famous Contest of Champions!!” He took a breath and continued. “Believe it or not, one of our challengers is a child! Everyone, please welcome our superboy… RYU!!”

There was uproar when the boy slowly stepped into the Hall of Kings, with the audience yelling and cheering and whistling, and it made him feel even more nervous than he did before. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

_One more fight… just one more fight and we’ll be free…_

“And in this corner, the one and only!” the commentator resumed shouting, growing more and more excited with each word. “The Wings of Death! The master of the blade! The champion of champions! Mister Dynamite… GARR!!”

It was just as Ryu had feared – the Dragon-like man strode out of the gate before him, calm and composed.

_Of all battles to fight him…_

“He’s the Champion for years and years now! The champion of champions!” the voice roared again. “But without further ado, allow me to present you the final match of the Contest of Champions! Readyyyyy… aaaaaaand… FIIIIIIGHT!!”

Both Ryu and Garr did not immediately engage each other, gazing at each other as tension brewed up between them. The boy shivered as he felt dangerous air around this person, and feelings of sorrow and anguish grew in his heart just from being near him…

The winged man twirled his spear once and pointed it at him. “Though you are but a young boy, I shall withhold not my strength. If you give not your utmost, I shall strike you down.”

Ryu narrowed his eyes, holding his short sword bravely in front of him. “I didn’t think of holding back at all.”

The crowd cheered at this exchange of words.

Very suddenly Garr lunged with a speed that defied his size and weight, and Ryu scrambled out of the way in fear. As he moved quickly as far as he could, he stopped himself and reminded himself what he was here for.

_I’m here to fight for freedom!!_

With a yell, he charged with his sword raised, focusing hard on dodging the spear, and then lashed out with his own weapon. He was able to hit once, twice, thrice before he was forced to back away when a burst of a fire spell was thrown at him. But he was relentless, taking the offensive and soon charging forward again, with the crowd oohed and ahhed each time he was nearly hit.

All the while, Garr never did show any expression other than calm seriousness, not even a wince when the short sword cut him on the torso and drew a little blood from his hard brown skin. No, he went on blocking and throwing fire spells continually at his small target, as though this was as normal as having dinner each day…

But was he mocking his opponent with these weak spells of his? Or was it because he pitied him? Why would he not use his blade, his strength that earned him a great name in this Contest of Champions?

The boy hesitated, suddenly wondering if continuing to fight was the right thing to do. All his fiery determination was gone in a flash.

_Is it… right to hurt someone to get what I want…?_

The crowd then gave an extra loud and excited cheer, shaking him out of his thoughts and pulling him back to reality, but it was already too late – Garr, having already raised his halberd, swung it at him with one muscular arm.

There was no time for him to avoid it.

Ryu gasped in pain as the blunt end of the halberd struck him at the side of his head, immediately forcing him to the ground. His wide cerulean eyes staring at his opponent, his mind already began to slip into unconsciousness as tears of anguish slid down his cheek.

Not from losing the battle.

But from losing his companions’ freedom.

 

* * *

 

“Not to worry,” the healer stated, smiling at Nina and Momo as he stood up from the chair. “He’s strong, he’ll come around soon, though he’ll be a bit dazed for a bit.”

The princess, who had been crying and sniffing for a while, nodded as she wiped her eyes. “Thank you so much, sir.”

“Don’t mention it, it’s my job after all.” He picked up his bag and left, after giving one last kind smile to her to reassure her.

Momo beamed as she patted Nina’s shoulder. “I told you he’ll be fine! It’s not even a bad concussion!”

“I’m sorry… I was so scared when I saw him fell…” The princess sniffed slightly as she gazed at the still figure of the unconscious Ryu.

Suddenly, Nina realised that the crowd was silent; no cheer, no boos… nothing. What could have quietened the enthusiastic people? Curious, she walked to the door of the waiting room that led outside into Hall of Kings and peeped out.

“Garr! Are you CRAZY?!!” Balio exclaimed loudly, in the midst of the silence of the crowd.

“Am I mistaken?” Garr asked calmly. “Would the victorious not be granted his desire?”

“Yes, but this is ridiculous!” The half-unicorn snarled. “That’s not what we agreed on!”

He gazed at him with his gleaming golden eyes. “Then would you rather forfeit your life?”

For the first time, Nina saw Balio shrinking back in fear. “Grr…”

“Um…” the announcer started. “To the champion Garr, we award… Ryu and his friends?”

_What?! We’re his prize?!_

There was a loud chorus of boos from the crowd, all dissatisfied on this unexpected downturn of events, but Garr ignored them as he headed towards the waiting room where the two girls were. Nina frowned as she stood between him and the bed where her male companion was sleeping, with a firm determination on her face that indicated that she would fight to protect, just as Ryu always did for her.

To her surprise, however, Garr’s gaze turned from harsh to soft, kind and warm.

“You need not worry, I wish you no harm.” He lowered his head. “I held back for fear of injuring him.”

The princess continued to glare at him, for she find herself being unable to forgive him for hurting Ryu and put him into this stage, even if he _did_ hold back. And for him to ask for them as his prize… it was ridiculous.

“Uh, thank you very much, Garr…” Momo started. “But why did you–”

It was just that very moment when a soft groan came from the direction of the bed, making everyone turn towards it. Ryu, who had been unconscious all this while, stirred and slowly sat up with a hand held to his head – he was finally awake.

“Ryu!” Nina exclaimed, rushing to his side and startling him. “You’re awake!”

He blinked. “Yeah, I am, but what exactly…” He trailed off when he finally realised that Garr was there. His eyes widened, he raised a hand to his sheath, only to find that it missing, and paled in fear.

“Ryu…?” the princess called, wondering why he was that afraid of this man. After all, being knocked out by Balio and Sunder did not make him that terrified of them…

Almost as suddenly as it had started, he snapped out of it, as though it was only that instant that he realised what he was doing.

“What’s wrong?” Momo asked.

“Oh… it’s… nothing.” The boy reddened as he slowly slid off the bed, though he still appeared a little dazed.

“My apologies for the pain I delivered,” the winged man said sincerely, his gaze on the boy half his size softened. “I am glad to see you all right.”

He shook his head, looking up at him a little nervously. “I-it’s okay, after all, it was a contest of champions…”

“Thank you.” He nodded, giving a faint smile. “Now, you are all under my care. There is naught to worry from Balio and Sunder.”

There was a gasp coming from Momo. “You mean… we’re free?!”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“All right!!” She turned to the other two. “C’mon! Let’s get out of here before those two decides to get nasty and come here!”

“Definitely,” Ryu agreed. “I really don’t want to see their reaction after they found out that I lost the competition for th–”

Nina gave an abrupt shriek. “Peco! We forgot all about Peco!!”

“Hm, so one still remains in their midst…” Garr said, appearing to be talking to himself, and abruptly left the room.

Bewildered, they quickly went after him – though Ryu first stopped to pick up his sheathed sword – and they strode briskly along the hallway all the back to the main entrance before turning left towards Balio’s office.

The moment they entered the little room, Balio and Sunder yelped as they leaped straight off their seats. Garr held his blade towards them, silently threatening them with his glare, and jerked his head in the direction of the cage.

Sunder growled, but grudgingly pulled a ring of keys off a hook at the back of the room and released the onion, who was wild with the joy of being free. Peco bounced up and down excitedly, like a ball thrown against the floor with force, but Nina quickly grabbed him and ran back to join the others, watching the brothers warily.

Balio and Sunder glared, but did not make a move towards them.

“A prudent move,” Garr stated, keeping his eyes focused unblinkingly on the brothers. “These children are under my care… I will not repeat myself again.” Then he turned around. “Let us go.”

Silently the three youngsters and one onion obeyed, and then he himself left after them.

For a moment, the brothers stood there in silence, then Sunder kicked a chair angrily. “Dammit! What’s gotten into Garr?!”

Balio shook his head, his expression harsh. “I don’t know, who knows what he’s thinking…”

He shook his head. “Do you think he turned on us, bro?”

“From the looks of it, he just did.” He growled. “We can’t just let them go… not after what they put us through.”

 

* * *

 

Ryu could not believe it. After so many days of capture and escape ever since they left Wyndia, they had finally been able to be free from their captors.

_Free!!_

The word had a nice ring to it, and he could not help but to smile to himself. He felt relieved, knowing that he could finally send Nina back to her home now, and that he was free to continue his search for his old friends.

But then, as he remembered that Garr was with them now, he started thinking deeply… why had Garr helped them? Why was it that he made him feel nervous, even though from a glance he seemed like a dependable strong person?

When they were finally out of the dreaded Arena and rushed past the Genmel town gates, they stopped next to the walls, the girls and Ryu panting from the run. Peco seemed too excited to even feel tired, and Garr did not even break a sweat.

“Whew… finally!” Nina cried once she had gained her breath. “We got away from those bad men!”

“Yeah!” Momo agreed heartily, grinning. “And it’s all thanks to Garr!”

“Pukyu!” Peco piped up.

Ryu didn’t say anything for a while, then he gazed up at the tall form of the Dragon-like man and spoke in a soft voice, “Why did you help us?” The suspicious tone in his voice showed without him meaning to.

The other three grew quiet, watching Garr to see what he would answer.

Garr stared off into the sky, a faraway look in his eyes. “I seek an ancient race that possesses an indomitable power, a fearsome race called the Brood. The purpose for my assistance…” His gazed lowered slowly to the boy. “…you, Ryu. You are part of the Brood.”

_The… Brood…?_

Ryu stared blankly at him, confused. The name sounded so familiar, and yet…

“The Brood…” The red-haired girl shook her head. “You mean the Dragons?”

Nina gasped. “How did you find out?! He didn’t show his powers at all!”

Garr nodded. “It was Balio who told me. I praise you for concealing it well.” He shook his head. “Ryu… I will ask naught in return, but if you wish to know about the Dragonkin, the Brood… there is but one place to go.” He turned, pointing a finger towards the east, past the mountains. “To the east lies Angel Tower. Go thither, where I shall await your coming.”

With that, he strode off, heading towards some tents in Genmel, and left them there.

Ryu continued to say nothing, staring at the ground, and it took a long time before he finally spoke, “The Brood… I can finally learn about myself…”

Nina smiled. “I’m glad, Ryu!”

He smiled as well, clearly happier. “Yeah, I’m glad too. But let’s get you back to Wyndia first, okay?”

Momo beamed. “All right then! I’ll bring you to the city just like I promised!”

“Pukyuuuu!!” Peco shouted.

Feeling new enthusiasm now, all four of them cheered and then, first buying new supplies with whatever money they had left, started their journey to the City of Winds.

Life had never felt better.

 

* * *

 

It took about half a day to arrive at a huge wooden bridge across a deep gorge, with a signpost next to it that said, “Maekyss Gorge – do not lean too far over the side of the bridge!”

Unlike the barren ground where Genmel was situated, Maekyss Gorge was a place filled with greenery and trees, complete with a rushing stream flowing a long ways below the bridge. It was rather peaceful here, heightening the group’s feelings of being free.

“C’mon! Let’s go!” Nina said excitedly and ran first onto the bridge, with Peco following enthusiastically behind.

However, just as he stepped on the first plank of wood on the bridge, Ryu immediately felt that there was something wrong. He sped forward, overtaking his two companions, and stepped right in front of them, forcing them to stop abruptly.

And it turned out that he was right.

Before them, there were a huge group of thugs, with both Balio and Sunder leading them.

Ryu glared as he drew out his sword, remaining in a protective stance in front of the other two, a deep feeling of hatred building up inside him.

“Ryu, I’ve got to hand it to you… you’re one hell of a kid,” Balio started, no longer smirking as he usually did. “I never would’ve thought you’d give us so much trouble.”

“Guys!” Momo cried from behind the children and onion, running towards them. “There are some bad guys right behind u–” She blinked as she realised that there were a whole horde of men in front of them too. “Oh… um, I guess you already know.”

Honey, who was perched atop her shoulder, slapped her forehead in exasperation.

The boy shook his head slowly, his eyes harsh. “We’re stuck here, unless we can get past them…” In the midst of the hatred, a feeling of nervousness and fear rose; he had never fought and truly won against them before, so what difference would it make now?

“We’ve called in all our men from around here… you won’t get away this time!” Sunder snarled. “Get him!!”

Uttering a battle cry like soldiers in war, all the thugs charged with their respective weapons raised, then they skidded to a stop when a bright flash of light came from Ryu. There was a great roar as the light blinded everyone, and when it dimmed, the boy was no longer there, but the large form of the Force Dragon, which gave a roar as though warning them to stay away.

Some of the men fled screaming, while the braver ones stayed. There were a lot of them, but they were no match for him, even though he held back – some were knocked out the moment he bashed them, while some others required a swift grapple followed by a powerful swing to the trees. It did not take long for every one of the men to be knocked out or to escape from the scene.

“These Dragons are really something, eh, Sunder?” Balio remarked harshly, unsmilingly.

“But of course, he can’t keep it up forever…” the other brother stated, grinning evilly at the Dragon. “We still have plenty of men behind you!”

It was just that moment when Garr, with his usual composed self, came from behind the girls. His expression grew grim when he saw the half-unicorns again.

Garr gestured behind him. “…it appears I was right to believe it was not a mere joy for fishing that summoned these men here.”

Sure enough, the remaining men behind them were all unconscious on the ground, as a result of Garr’s strength.

Sunder’s grin instantly disappeared. “W-what?!”

“Garr!” the blue-haired brother growled. “What do you think you’re doing? Why did you betray us to help these kids?!”

“I do recall telling you they are in my care…” He stepped up towards them, stopping beside Ryu with a short glance at his Dragon form, and then focused his eyes on them. “It would seem the first betrayal was yours.”

“Grr…” Sunder snarled.

Balio shook his head. “Garr, the boss isn’t going to let you get away with this…”

Garr crossed his arms. “I care not for the threats you carry.”

“…I see…” He straightened, clenching his fists. “All right then, we’ll settle this here and now.” He glanced at Sunder. “Looks like the time has come to show them our true power, my brother.”

At first Sunder looked horrified, then his face twisted into a look of dangerous confidence as he glared at Ryu and Garr. “You’re all DEAD!!”

The two brothers stepped closer to each other, a gleam of light coming from both of them, and they screamed as a bright pillar of light engulfed them. Ryu drew back, growling – were they able to transform as well?

Almost as suddenly as it had started, the light disappeared away in a flash. But now, the Dragon stared at the single huge form that was now there instead of the two brothers. It retained their half-unicorn form, large enough to tower over even Garr, with white and red marks all over its body. Its mane looked as though it was made of a curved metal and there was a blue crystal on each of its shoulder, which glowed as it roared loudly.

“Stallion Metamorphosis!!” the voices of Balio and Sunder cried together. “No one has seen us in this form and lived to tell the tale!”

Stallion lunged forward with the combined speed of two horses and punched Garr hard, its strength so great that it even knocked the heavy winged man a few feet away. Ryu charged, bashing his huge Dragon form into Stallion, and he jumped away just in time for Momo to shoot her bazooka (which struck the ground instead of her target) and the princess to throw an Iceblast spell at it. Garr recovered quickly and struck hard with his halberd, creating a huge cut wound right across its white chest.

But despite the relentless attacks, Stallion showed no signs of going down but instead struck just as relentlessly, and it showed no mercy even to the two girls and onion. It kicked Peco around like a ball mercilessly, slapping Momo out of the way each time she tried to fire her weapon at it, and it only shrugged at Nina’s attempts to bring it down with her spells.

All of a sudden, it made a grab for Nina with a sinister dual laughter, holding her up by the scruff of her neck, and it cried, “Let’s see how well you can protect her like THIS!!”

_NO!!_ Ryu cried in his mind, a high snarl of panic escaping from his lips.

Stallion, with a loud yell, flung Nina right over the edge, her scream echoing off the walls of the gorge.

_NINA!!!_

Ryu roared, yelling her name in the Dragon’s tongue, and threw himself down the gorge after her, determined to protect her. His mind oblivious to his enemy’s evil laughter, he dived downwards faster than she was falling. The rushing rapids of the river through Maekyss Gorge came nearer and nearer.

For a fleeting moment, he wondered – would he be able to make it?

With a determined roar, he dived with an abrupt burst of speed, passed her, and allowed her to land safely on his back. Then, just as his hind legs brushed against the surface of the river, he spread his great wings that stretched across the river.

And a moment later, he burst out from the gorge and into the great blue sky.

Nina held on tightly, her eyes closed tightly against the strong wind, but there was no fear in her little heart. She trusted him completely with her life.

As he set her safely down on the ground again, far enough from the battle, she looked up at him, smiling. “Thank you, Ryu, you saved me again…”

Being in his Dragon form, Ryu was unable to speak, but he gave a soft growl in reply before rejoining Momo and Garr in the fray. Just as he arrived, however, suddenly Stallion drew back, howling loudly. Garr stepped in front of Momo, protecting her, and the Dragon, sensing that something dangerous would happen soon, snarled as he charged forward.

But before he was even near enough to attack, Stallion formed a cross with its glowing arms and sent a ray of rainbow lasers towards all three of them, so powerful that it made him fall in pain immediately.

_W-what is this?!_

He snarled as he tried to force himself up, tried to ignore the pain, but his body felt numb, his pain-filled limbs refusing to obey.

“Ryu!!” Nina cried, with tears in her eyes. She had to help him!

But how?

When Ryu roared in pain, fear struck her like a thunderbolt, and she foolishly threw herself at him, screaming when the laser rays touched her.

“R-Ryu…” she breathed out.

He stared at her in dismay, his eyes wide in fear.

Stallion laughed, a long, triumphant laugh. “Now you see?! The strong prevail over the weak!!”

The Dragon switched his gaze to Stallion.

His hated enemy. Laughing mockingly at him.

Taking everything from him, as though he had no right to be happy.

Just because they were strong?

Just because they had power?

Rage burned in Ryu’s heart. Every part of him screamed in hatred.

… _then I ask for POWER!!_

He roared into the sky, a great roar that shook the earth.

Stallion drew back, surprised.

The Dragon charged forward once again, wings spread wide at his sides. His mind numbed to the pain, his eyes focused on his hated enemy.

_Pain. Give them pain!_

He lashed out with his fangs and suddenly, three large magical claw marks, burning with crimson flames, slashed across Stallion with a great flash of light. Instantly Stallion was thrown back against a great cliff, three new bleeding, burning wounds forming on his chest.

But he didn’t stop there. He continued lashing out with the Flame Claw, relentlessly, again and again.

He didn’t stop when deep cuts appeared on Stallion.

He didn’t stop when a large pool of blood gathered at its feet.

He didn’t stop even when it had fallen back, reverting to two half-unicorns in a great burst of light.

And he didn’t stop even when they were covered in blood.

Hate.

Hatred for the evil half-unicorns for taking his friends away from him. For taking his peaceful life away.

For hurting Nina.

He snarled.

The Flame Claw struck them again.

Balio and Sunder’s eyes widened in fear – was this truly the power of a Dragon? Was this the reason why Dragons were feared?

But Ryu wasn’t satisfied. Seeing them covered in blood, cowering in fear… didn’t make him satisfied.

_Give them more pain!!_

He turned heavenward and roared, a ferocious roar that sounded like the clap of thunder. A roar filled with determination. A roar filled with hatred.

Energy burned in his throat.

Glowing in his open jaws.

He gazed forward, at his hateful, pitiful targets.

_Die._

A burst of light came from his jaws.

Then, everything slowed down drastically, as though Time had stopped. Ryu felt angry; he wanted to incinerate his hateful enemies this very instant. He didn’t want to wait any longer.

“ _You fool… letting his Dragon power overwhelm your mind.”_

It was that male voice again. Ryu growled.

_I hate them._

“ _Do you remember your purpose in this battle? Do you really want to hurt them to this extent?”_

… _my purpose…?_

He realised with a start.

_Nina…_

The rage and hatred washed away, as quickly as they had come. Remorse and regret filled his heart instead.

… _why… have I…_

“ _You have to remember, Ryu; too much power is not good. You will go berserk, as you did earlier, if you lose control of your emotions.”_

He lowered his head, tears filling his eyes.

_I’m… sorry…_

The voice chuckled. _“You’re still such a child…”_

Ryu could almost see the silhouette of a man in his mind, a hand reached out to pat his head reassuringly.

“ _Don’t worry, Ryu, just remember what’s important to you. Do what you know is right.”_

Time suddenly resumed, and he found himself gazing at the bloody forms of the half-unicorns. Huddled together. Trembling in fear.

He almost pitied them.

The light in his jaws disappeared away.

“What…?” Balio muttered.

Ryu gave a low growl as he stepped back, reverting back to his small human form, with a look of quiet sadness on his face.

Part of him still wanted these two to be dead, still wanted revenge, yet he knew now that it was wrong. Now, even as he stood there, watching the bloody duo, he knew it was pointless to continue like this, pointless to hurt them any further.

“…killing you won’t being Rei and Teepo back,” he merely said, slowly turning his back to them.

_Yes, doing this is the right thing._

He began to walk away, but an angry yell from Sunder made him stop.

“You BRAT!!” Sunder shouted, pulling out a dagger with a bloody hand. “Don’t think you’ve already won because of this!!”

“No one messes with us and gets away with it!” Balio yelled. “Heeaaaargh!!”

He lunged forward swiftly with the last of his strength, and his brother followed suit. Together, they took the form of Stallion once again, carrying a large dagger in one hand.

“Take THIS!!” it cried, stabbing at him.

“RYU!!” Nina screamed, covering her eyes with her hands.

The boy spun around quickly, his eyes wide with fear, but it was too late – there was no time to react.

He shut his eyes tightly, awaiting the stab that would eventually end his life.

But it never came.

Garr, with his great strength, bashed into Stallion.

And sheer force knocked it right over the edge of the bridge.

Ryu rushed to the side and looked down. There, he saw the half-unicorn brothers, now separated, hanging dangerously high above the rushing river. Balio was holding on tightly to Sunder’s leg, and the latter had one hand on the bridge while the other still on the dagger.

In their injured state, they would not last long.

A strange feeling rose within Ryu, overpowering his hatred.

_No! I can’t just leave them like this!_

He held out a hand, ignoring the fear he felt inside him, and shouted, “Give me your other hand!”

Balio looked up, stunned. “What?”

“I said, give me your other hand!” He shook his head. “Quickly! Before it’s too late!”

Sunder snarled. “Damn you!! We don’t need your help! Now stay the HELL away!!”

He raised the dagger and swung it hard at the boy, who fell backwards into a sitting position.

It was a costly move.

Almost immediately, his hand that held the edge of the bridge slipped. With a loud, piercing scream, the brothers then fell towards the rapid river in Maekyss Gorge, like a rock thrown from a high position.

Plunging right to their death.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may find that I’ve changed Garr’s manner of speech completely from how he speaks in the game. I feel that according to his character, Garr tends to speak more formally than others, rather than the casual, modern manner he does in the game. Originally I followed his manner of speech as in the game, except that I broke up all the short forms (don’t, won’t, shouldn’t, etc) into their original form (do not, would not, should not, etc). After I started playing Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, though, I thought that it’ll be interesting to follow its – Shakespearean / Elizabethan / Early Modern English? – manner of speech!
> 
> So I used the FFT: WotL game script as reference, as well as reading some (boring) English articles that may help, and reworked on his speeches. It’s a lot of work and took a long time, since I’ve no experience with this sort of English. I’m pretty sure my sentences don’t quite come out right most of the time, but it was fun! Though I decided to omit the thou, thee, thy and stuff… that’s still way out of my league. o_o
> 
> Problem is, when I reread the original manner of speech I gave him (I saved them just in case), now I find them boring. xP


	13. Eleven: The Princess’ Heart

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Eleven: The Princess’ Heart**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

Ryu could only stare at the river below, even after both half-unicorns had long disappeared from sight. Even though they were his hated enemies, he still felt despair for not being able to at least save their lives. Seeing someone die was something he felt he would not forget for a long time.

Despite the fact that he had felt utmost hatred for them earlier.

He suddenly recalled how Balio and Sunder were covered in blood, eyes looking up in fear. Looking up at him.

And he, as he stood towering over them in his Dragon form… had felt satisfaction. Joy at seeing another’s pain he had inflicted.

His eyes widened in shock, staring at his hands. Trembling hands, covered in imaginary blood.

“N-no…” he muttered. “I don’t want to be a monster…”

He could almost hear a crackling laughter in his ears.

“Ryu…” Nina called, her eyes filled with concern. “You’re not a monster…”

“I only want to protect you…” He shook his head, tears filling his eyes. “I don’t want to lose control again… I don’t want to feel happy from hurting someone…”

“Ryu…”

“I… I know I hated them… I know I hated the people who came to the contest with greed… they were so happy to see someone getting hurt…” He shut his eyes. “But I hated them so much that I lost control… I’m not different from the people I hate…”

The girls remain silent, not quite knowing what to say.

Peco appeared crestfallen. “Pyu…”

At first Garr did not speak, then he posed a question. “Ryu, to what purpose do you fight?”

He was surprised, but he answered, “…to… to protect… but…”

His eyes narrowed. “Then is giving up your choice?”

He had no answer.

Garr began approaching the boy, his heavy steps loud on the wooden bridge. “Will you do naught and let yourself tread the same path of perdition once again? Surely this is not what you wish.”

He shook his head tearfully. Certainly he did not want this to happen again… but what could he do?

It was that very moment when he remembered what Bunyan said to him before he left Cedar Woods, _“If you want to eat, you have to work. It’s the same here; if you want something, you have to work to get it, and be determined enough to keep at it.”_

He had understood the words then, and he understood the words now.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, wiping his tears, and slowly looked up. “You’re right, I just can’t give up if I want to stop it from happening again. I just have to keep a hold on my emotions and not let it go out of hand…”

Garr nodded, smiling slightly.

“Oh, Ryu!” Nina hugged him tightly. “You’re not a monster! I know you’re a good Dragon!”

“You can do it!” Momo said, grinning.

“Pui pui!” Peco added.

Feeling a little better now, Ryu smiled. “Thanks… thanks, everyone.”

Garr stretched his wings. “Well then, let us put some distance between us and Wyndia. The day grows short.”

The others nodded, but did not move. Their eyes lingered to the edge of the bridge.

“But…” Ryu began.

The winged man shook his head. “The fault lies with none but them; we cannot force them to accept Ryu’s help if they wish against it. What happened is part of the Goddess’ will… there is naught to be done for them.”

The other four stayed silent, but deep down they knew that he was right.

“T-thank you, Garr,” Nina said, turning towards him. “Because of you, we’re finally free…”

“Think naught of it,” Garr said. “I planned not to join their cause for long, anyway. More importantly…” His gaze focused on Ryu once more. “Once the princess is within the safety of her walls, Ryu… Angel Tower awaits us.”

Ryu hesitated. “I…”

“W-wait, Garr, Ryu’s on a journey looking for his friends, Rei and Teepo…” Nina glanced at the younger male, then at the older one. “Have you heard of them, by any chance?”

“Hm…” The winged man rubbed his chin, deep in thoughts. “I cannot say I have.”

A look of disappointment washed over the boy’s face. “I see…”

“However.” There was a grave tone in Garr’s voice that made him look up again. “You will not find them alive, I fear.”

 _Will not find them alive,_ the voice echoed loudly in Ryu’s mind, and he stared at him in horror, his eyes wide.

Momo gasped, her hands covering her mouth.

Nina shook her head quickly. “Garr! How can you say such a thing?!”

Garr remained as serious. “Do you know not who you deal with? Balio and Sunder are the sort to strike down both friend and foe alike, once they have outlived their purpose. The reason Ryu survives is his power… am I wrong to say so?”

“N-no, but…” She looked up. “But Ryu’s not a bad Dragon! He’s always been protecting me!”

“I deny it not.” Garr looked up at the sky to tell the time, and then started walking towards the end of the bridge. “First, let us go to Wyndia. To enter the eastern lands requires the King’s permission.”

As he strode calmly forward, Nina went over to Ryu, who had his eyes focused on the ground.

“Ryu? Are you… okay?” she asked uncertainly.

The boy glanced up immediately, smiling slightly. “I’m fine, don’t worry. We should be happy that we’re free now, right?”

She smiled as well. “Yeah, and it’s all thanks to you, Ryu.”

He turned a little red. “N-not really…”

Momo, with Honey on her shoulder, laughed. “Well, let’s go! Garr will leave us behind if we don’t hurry!”

“Pyu pyu!” Peco cried with a jump.

 

* * *

 

Ryu relaxed for the first time ever since he left his home in Cedar Woods, no longer fearing for his and Nina’s safety. With so many companions with him, along with the strong Garr, he felt that nothing would be able to truly hurt them until they reached Wyndia.

He leaned against a tree trunk, watching Nina playing with Honey and Peco around the campfire that lit up part of their dark surroundings, while Momo was reading a book with rapt attention. He smiled when he saw how happy and free the princess seemed, feeling happy himself.

Garr was sharpening his halberd some distance away from the campfire, not wanting to get in the way of the play. When he was satisfied with its sharpness, he stood up and stretched. As he gazed in the boy’s direction, he approached.

“Perchance you might allow this old man to sit by your side?” he asked.

Ryu merely stared at him in surprise at first, then he nodded meekly.

Garr settled down beside him, his large wings folded neatly behind him, his halberd on the ground in front of him. For a while, they sat beside each other in silence, facing the campfire. It was at least a few minutes before the winged man broke the silence.

“Have you long discovered your power?”

The boy looked up immediately, startled. “M-my power?” He grew cautious, suddenly afraid… part of him knew that he could trust this man, yet another part of him kept feeling sorrow and anger just from being near him…

“Yes, your power.” His golden eyes watched the princess, robot doll and onion play, with the other girl joining in their laughter, but one could see that all of his attention was fully focused on the young Dragon.

Ryu knew that he could not escape from the question, so he slowly began to answer, “No, not really… I transformed without thinking when I tried to stop Balio and Sunder from running off with Nina…”

“‘Twas the need to protect that awakened you.”

He nodded. “Yes. But the Dragon form you saw me in, the adult Dragon… that’s not my real form. I’m actually still really small.”

Garr raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

He paused, before continuing quietly, “It’s the power I found locked in a chrysm ore, the power of another Dragon…” _A power I must never allow to consume me again…_

“So the Dragonkin possess such ability… I know naught of it.” There was a hint of interest in his voice.

The younger of the two remained silent for a moment. “I don’t know if the others can do it or not, I’ve never met another Dragon…”

“Perhaps you will not have the chance. They did perish in the war hundreds of years ago, after all.”

A look of despair washed over his quiet face as his voice lowered to a whisper. “…I… can’t believe that… not just yet…”

“Ryu!” Nina called abruptly, waving madly from near the campfire. “Come and join us!”

“Join…?” Ryu seemed confused for a moment, but complied by getting up and walking to her.

Soon, though, he began running about with the others, turning from a sad young Dragon into a laughing happy child. As Garr watched him, he muttered to himself.

“One would sooner believe him a mere child than a fearsome Dragon… is it truly so…?”

Then he remembered Ryu’s berserk state in the battle against Stallion. Although the others had merely brushed it aside, believing in their friend, the memory still etched itself firmly in Garr’s mind.

A memory filled with blood.

“…no. He is dangerous. One of the Dragonkin whose wish is the destruction of the world…” He raised his gaze to the night sky. “I would do well to remember that.”

 

* * *

 

After a restful night, once again they travelled along the road that led to Wyndia. They were certainly in high spirits today – Nina occasionally skipped as they walked, Momo started humming a little song, Peco bouncing happily with Honey on his head, and even Ryu could not help but to smile and chat a little. Garr seemed amused as he watched them.

When about a day had passed, they finally arrived at the T-junction of Eygnock Road, where Ryu and Nina were first captured and brought to Genmel so many days ago. The boy gazed at the lonely wooden hut that stood beside the road, recalling on the events that happened the last time he was here. He had felt so hopeful then, thinking that he would finally find one of his friends…

“Here we are!” Momo cried, proud that she had led them here as she had promised. “Eggnock Road! Wyndia’s just around the corner!”

The princess stayed silent for a moment, before speaking softly, “I’ve been excited about coming home, and I know everyone’s worried, but…” She shook her head. “How am I going to explain to them that Ryu’s not a bad guy?”

Ryu felt uncomfortable. he had dreaded returning here after he was thrown into prison by the King… but he knew that Nina belonged here, in her home. He smiled, trying to reassure her.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure nothing will happen to me,” he stated, defying the doubt that resided inside him. “Your parents aren’t bad people, are they?”

She shook her head again, smiling slightly. “No, they’re not… I know that they have to make really hard choices sometimes, but I still…”

He put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, okay? Just be happy that you’re home.”

She nodded, cheering up. “Okay, I will. Thanks, Ryu.”

 

* * *

 

However, when the castle gates neared, Ryu began to feel nervous and doubtful, not even realising that people were staring at his strange company. Nina, too, seemed to feel the same, but she pressed on, knowing that she had kept her parents worried long enough. Boldly she approached the guards at the gate, who at first stared at her in disbelief, and spoke softly to them.

Luckily for them though, the two gatekeepers were rather ecstatic over the princess’s return that they immediately ushered them into the castle audience hall, where the worried King and Queen were.

Ryu smiled at the emotional reunion of the royal family when they embraced each other tightly, some even having tears expressing happiness. Part of his heart ached as he partially remembered that he had no family, but most of it was happy for his friend. If he could not experience that happiness, at least she could.

“If it weren’t for Ryu and the others…” Nina started after she had calmed down, smiling as she glanced at her companions. “I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

“Ah, I see…” the king looked up at the strange group, from Peco all the way up to Garr, and smiled. “Thank you very much for your help… I am truly grateful.”

“Think naught of it, Your Majesty,” Garr replied, giving a slight bow with one arm across his waist.

“Still, you have my gratitude.” He gazed at all of them, but a look of surprise washed over his face as his eyes fell onto Ryu, who was partially hidden behind the huge figure of the winged man.

Ryu shirked back in fear, wondering what would happen to him.

The king took a step closer, inspecting his azure hair. “Hm… you are that ‘Dragon’ the conmen brought in before, aren’t you?”

He gazed upward at the royal man, nodding very slightly. He seemed rather terrified… just like how Nina first saw him so many days ago.

The princess immediately leaped to her friend’s rescue, standing between him and her father. “Daddy! Ryu’s not a bad person! He protected me and helped me escape from the bad men!”

“I see.” To everyone’s relief, the king’s gaze softened as he smiled again. “I thank you, Ryu, for saving my daughter, and I apologise for thinking you were one of those charlatans.”

“I-it’s okay…” Ryu said softly, relaxing a little.

“Now then!” He looked around at the group. “I believe you’re tired and hungry after your adventures! Would you join us to dinner?”

Gar nodded. “Yes, thank you for your offer, Your Majesty.”

 

* * *

 

Nina took over half an hour just to relate the whole story to her parents, so excited in the process that she had barely touched her food. The others ate silently, occasionally looking up to answer the king’s questions… except for Peco, who ended up sleeping at his seat.

But Ryu, despite already knowing that he wasn’t labelled as a criminal anymore, still felt rather tensed, cautious of his surroundings as he ate slowly.

“My, that sounded like quite an adventure,” the king remarked when Nina finally finished. “It sounded like you had fun, Nina!”

“It was fun being with my friends!” his daughter agreed. “But it wasn’t fun being chased by the bad men…”

A nearby knight, standing near the wall with a halberd in one hand, started speaking hesitantly, seeming as though he was bursting to say something. “But, Your Majesty, with all due respect, I find it rather hard to believe…” He shook his head. “Could a mere child have performed such deeds?”

“Hm…” The royal man started to think deeply.

“But Ryu isn’t just an ordinary boy!” Nina protested. “Daddy, Ryu’s a Dr–”

Garr cleared his throat loudly, interrupting her. “Ahem! Your Majesty, it is time we left… we plan to leave for the eastern lands by the morrow.”

The king nodded. “Ah, I see. You need a passport, don’t you? Since you’re in a hurry, I will see that you get it immediately.”

“Thank you.” He stood up slowly from the table, followed by Ryu, Momo and Peco.

“W-wait…” Nina shook her head, looking as though she would burst into tears. “You mean… you’re leaving already?”

The winged man gave a slight bow. “Yes, Your Highness.”

Momo bowed a little as well, though rather awkwardly, with a sad gleam in her eyes. “Nina… I mean, Princess…” She smiled. “We’ll meet again.”

“Indeed.” The king nodded as he stood up. “If your travels ever bring you here again, we will welcome your presence at Wyndia Castle.”

Garr bowed once again, this time to him. “I thank you, Your Majesty.”

As he left the dining hall, Momo and Peco followed suit, but Ryu, however, hesitated. A strong feeling of despair tore at his heart, even as he gazed back at Nina, who seemed rather sad. He didn’t want to leave her so soon, he still wanted to be with her… but her place was here, in this castle, in her home with her family.

For him, he did not belong here, nor did he belong anywhere in this world.

_And… I… I have to learn more about my own family… the Brood…_

Tears began to flow from Nina’s eyes, which fuelled Ryu’s own despair, but fought his own tears and attempted to smile. “Goodbye, Nina, we’ll see each other again once we’re back.”

He gave a small bow and slowly left the dining hall, turning his back to the royal family. It was not long before he started sprinting down the long halls of Wyndia Castle, with tears streaming down his cheeks, and dashing past everyone he encountered along the way.

He knew that he would had to part with her as soon as he brought her home, but it was still rather unbearable… Yes, he knew that he would see her again, he would always come here to visit her once he had gone to Angel Tower, yet despair still overwhelmed his little heart.

Farewells were… not easy at all. Not after how Rei and Teepo were abruptly taken away from him.

 

* * *

 

_Why…? Why did they have to leave so soon…?_

Nina stayed on her bed long after her companions had left, her face buried in the tear-soaked pillow. Soon, after she had calmed down, she gave a soft sigh as she slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes lightly.

_I guess even if I went with them, I’ll only get in the way… they… don’t really need a princess along causing trouble…_

Just then, she remembered how sad Ryu had looked, and she wished that she could have gone with him… but now that she was home in Wyndia, as a princess she had no reason to remain with them anymore.

Softly she sighed, but soon smiled a little.

_But I’ll always wait for Ryu to come back… I know he will, once he finds out about his family._

Suddenly cheered up, she went to wash her face in her bathroom, and left for her classroom where her beloved grand piano stood. As she passed maids, servants and guards in the hall, all of them either bowed or curtsied in respect, reminding her of her status and role in this castle, reminding her of the duties she had to fulfil each day.

It was surprising how lonely she felt now, in this big place.

Just as she passed by her mother’s bedroom door, she paused; she remembered that during her reunion with her parents earlier, she had seen that her mother looked rather pale, so much more than before she was caught… making her mind to visit her at least, Nina slowly pushed the door open, entering the bedroom that was much bigger than her own, though rather similar in design.

She strode across the blue carpeted floor, walking towards the large four poster bed as the two maids in the room curtsied. The older of the two maids shook her head and said, “Princess Nina, when you disappeared, the Queen was so overcome with grief that she collapsed…”

“R-really…?” Nina whispered, filled with despair and remorse. “I’m sorry…”

She stepped closer towards the bed, and gasped softly when she saw how tired her mother had seemed compared to before the kidnapping. She knelt at the side of the bed, holding her mother’s hand lightly. “Mother…”

The Queen opened her eyes slowly, and smiled when she saw her daughter. “Oh, Nina, you don’t know how glad I am when you finally came home…”

She shook her head, tears threatening to fall. “I’m sorry, Mother… I made you worry so much…”

She put her free hand on top of the princess’, pressing them lightly. “You’re my treasure, Nina… Wyndia’s treasure… Remember that always, and try not to do anything that would bring us grief…”

_I… I don’t want to be the princess… I just want to be with Ryu…_

But Nina forced a smile, defying the feelings in her heart. “I’ll remember, Mother. Please rest now, you need to get better.”

“Yes, I will, now that you’re back…”

With that, the young girl slowly turned towards the door and left, continuing her way to her lessons room. It took less than a minute to reach it, and she was glad to know that nothing much had changed since her departure, especially where her piano and music books were located. Just as she usually did, she took out a book, flipped the pages to find the pieces that she liked the most, and placed it on the stand above the piano keys. Then, her fingers began moving deftly, the sounds of the instrument echoing across the halls.

_Ryu… I wonder if he’ll miss me?_

No sooner five minutes passed, a high-pitched scream rang across the halls, followed by a loud crash of something shattering, which forced Nina to stop immediately.

“Huh? What was that?” she wondered aloud.

She thought that she had imagined it, but decided to investigate anyway. She jumped off the piano chair, not bothered to keep her book this time, and ran outside the room. She didn’t know where it came from, but since it sounded like a plate shattering, she left for the dining hall, which was just below her classroom.

The maids and servants were just cleaning the dining hall after the meal earlier, with some going up and down bringing plates while the others bustled around with cloths and brooms to clean. There was a particular young maid who seemed rather stunned, standing right next to pieces of a broken plate.

“What happened?” Nina asked, curious.

“Oh, Princess, something hit my foot earlier and startled me... then I dropped the plate…” The maid shook her head slowly. “No, it wasn’t a rat, it was something… more…” She jumped, pointing towards one direction. “Eek! There it is again!!”

At that very moment the princess turned and was just in time to see something small and dark red running out from under the table. To the maids, it was the same thing as a rat – a pest – but to Nina, it was something she recognised immediately.

Honey, Momo’s robot doll!

She raced in the direction she thought Honey went, running around halls, crossing the courtyard, past the training field, and then downstairs into the underground area that led to the kitchens, dungeon and wine cellar. The moment she stepped into the kitchen, she had lost Honey, but the chefs there told her that something ran into the wine cellar.

The castle’s wine cellar was large, with numerous gigantic crates and barrels, so it was not easy for a small girl to find a small-sized creature there. However, just as she was about to give up, she turned around a corner and tripped over something small and hard… then she realised that it was Honey!

“Oh, Honey! I knew it was you!” Nina called softly, getting up and kneeling next to the small robot doll. “What’s the matter? Did you get left behind?”

Honey jumped, as though she was surprised, and then sped away back upstairs.

“Wait! Honey!” the princess cried, but it was too late – the robot had already gone. “Oh no, if the cooks see her, they’ll think she’s a rat and try to kill her! I have to find her!”

Once again she pursued the robot doll back upstairs, following her all the way out of the kitchens and upstairs back to her own bedroom, then to the large door that led to the balcony. Once outside, Honey stopped, as if she thought that she had finally escaped, but she ran once again when Nina came out the door just right behind her.

“Honey! Wait!” Nina cried again, but her attempts were futile, for the robot doll ran away again, startling the birds perched on the nearby wall.

However, as soon as she reached the end of the balcony, there was nowhere else for her to run.

“Honey, it’s me, Nina…” The young girl tried to coax her to come closer. “Don’t you remember me? I’m one of Momo’s friends…” She took a step closer, but it turned out to be a mistake.

The robot went straight to the edge of the balcony, jumped onto the wall, and prepared to leap.

“No! Honey! You’re going to fall!!”

Honey paid her no heed and jumped right into the air, towards the low grounds.

“Honey!! NO!!” Nina cried as she made a grab for her, reaching out as far as she could with both of her arms, and she was just only able to catch her. However, in her panic and hurry, she had leaned too far out.

She screamed as she began to plunge downwards, her voice carried along the wind as she hugged the robot doll tightly. Fear overwhelmed her just like the time she was thrown into Maekyss Gorge by Stallion, except this time the Dragon was not here to save her…

_Ryu…!!_

However, at that very moment, the short sound of zap came from Honey as her body shone brightly, and a magical sphere of white light formed around both of them. They started to slow down, gradually at first, then just as they were just three feet from the ground, they floating slowly downwards like a soap bubble.

_We… we’re flying?!_

Just as suddenly as it had formed, the sphere of light disappeared, forcing her to fall once again, but as she was barely a foot above the ground, she was able to land safely on her feet. Breathing hard from the fear, she still held on to Honey, who was no longer glowing now.

“Did you… did you do that, Honey?” she asked, looking at the robot doll in her hand.

There was no response.

“Honey?” She shook her slightly. “Honey! What’s the matter?”

Once again, there was no response.

_She’s not… moving… what should I do…?_

Nina stood there for a long time, not quite knowing what to do. Once again, someone else had protected her from danger, and instead of her being hurt, now Honey was unmoving… it was her fault.

She felt despaired, almost ready to cry, but knowing that she was unable to do anything for Honey, she started walking down the path, her back towards the castle walls where she had fallen from.

There was only one person who could help Honey, and that person was Momo.

 

* * *

 

Time passed rather quickly that day, and it was already past sunset before Ryu realised the time. He stared into the campfire, sadness raging in his heart, feeling as though he had lost an important part of himself. Ever since he had met her, Nina had been an important part of his life, his best friend…

Garr said nothing as he sat before the fire, occasionally throwing firewood into the hungry flames, and Peco remained asleep near them. Momo, however, soon burst out of the tent that they had set up, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Say, has anyone seen Honey?” she asked, looking around.

“No… is she not with you?” the winged man replied, throwing another log into the fire.

“I thought she was…” She scratched her head. “Maybe she wandered off somewhere?” She went around, calling loudly with her hands cupped around her mouth, “Honeeeeeey~ wheeeerree aaaaarrre yoooouuuuu?”

Ryu knew how horrible it was to be separated from friends, so he stood up and looked around for the robot doll as well, poking his sheath into bushes. Just as he stepped out from the shrubbery, though, he caught sight of a familiar figure in the darkness.

“Nina?” he called uncertainly.

“Ryu?” the princess’ voice said, as she stepped into the light of the campfire. “Everyone?”

She came back… she really came back.

The boy felt exceedingly happy at seeing her again, so overjoyed that he wanted to hug her tightly, but he refrained himself and instead asked, “Nina, why are you here?”

Momo, then, suddenly caught sight of Honey in her arms. “Hey, you found Honey!”

Nina nodded. “Yeah, she was at the castle, but then she became like this…”

It was only at that time when Ryu realised that the robot doll was not moving at all, as though she was… dead.

The princess shook her head tearfully. “I… I don’t know what’s wrong with her…”

Momo stepped forward and took Honey in her hands, examining her closely. “Hm…” After a moment, she grinned at the children’s apprehensive faces. “Don’t worry, she just ran out of chrysm. We’ll get her fixed up in no time!”

A look of relief washed over Nina’s face. “R-really?”

“Yep!” Momo gestured towards their tent. “C’mon, why don’t you bring her inside?”

She nodded, and together both of them entered the tent with Honey. Ryu just stood there dumbly, wondering what to do, then he decided to follow them. However, just as he passed him, Garr spoke.

“Best let Momo be the one responsible for the task; she knows it well,” he said calmly, glancing over a shoulder at him. “In the meantime, there is something I should tell you before we begin our journey to Angel Tower.”

Ryu turned, confused. “Something… to tell me?”

“Yes…” Even sitting down, Garr was still tall enough to be looking downwards at him. “Once we arrive at our destination, you will learn of the Brood… and the great war that ended some four hundred years ago.”

Images flashed across Ryu’s mind. Images of flames, images of blood… then, he heard cries, cries and roars filled with fear, anger and despair. And, above them all, he saw a gleaming spear…

“But…” Garr continued, just as Nina came out from the tent without them realising. “There is always that one possibility…” He gazed at Ryu. “…that you may die soon afterwards.”

Ryu froze.

“… _that you may die soon afterwards…”_ Garr’s voice echoed over and over in his mind, even as he stared at his gigantic companion in shock.

_If I go… I’m… going to die…_

“Die… you mean he might really die?!” Nina exclaimed loudly, running to the boy’s side. “Why would you say such a horrible thing?! He’s just going to learn about his family!!”

Ryu did not even react to this outburst – he was completely numb.

“You have to understand, both of you.” Garr tossed another log into the fire. “Involve yourselves with the power to destroy entire kingdoms, and you have to prepare for aught and all… even death.”

Nina shook her head quickly, protesting. “No! He’s not a bad Dragon! He always uses his power to protect me! He’s a good Dragon!!”

“Yes, I deny it not.”

She looked at Ryu. “I… I’m going with you!”

The boy returned her gaze, his voice quiet. “Nina… it’ll be dangerous, like Garr said…”

“I don’t care!” Tears slid down her cheeks, but she did not seem to realise it. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, and I don’t want you to die somewhere alone, somewhere without me!!”

Ryu smiled slightly, yet it was still clear that he was terrified, still in despair. “Thank you, Nina…”

Suddenly she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. “I… I know you’re a good person, Ryu…” Her voice shook, suddenly losing all the determination she had earlier. “I… I don’t want you to die…”

He fought his fear hard, trying to at least appear brave in front of her, but he failed miserably. He broke down completely, sobbing as hard as he did when he had first discovered that Rei and Teepo were missing… perhaps even harder. Nina only held him tightly, her own tears flowing freely.

When Momo came out from the tent, with Honey walking by her side, she was surprised by the unusual scene in front of her.

“Um… did I miss something?”

And Honey gave her a kick in the foot.

 

* * *

 

“Once past the border, we shall be in the eastern lands,” Garr explained one night and half a day later, once the huge wall of the Wyndia-Rhapala border were sighted at the horizon. “I anticipate few problems with our passports…” He glanced at Nina. “Though we might with our companion, the runaway princess…”

Nina said nothing in reply, looking rather nervous.

“Are you… sure you want to come with me?” Ryu asked, shaking his head. “Won’t your parents get worried…?”

“They’ll understand if I explain to them, I hope…” She smiled. “I’m coming with you no matter what, so don’t try to change my mind!”

He returned the smile. “Thanks, Nina.”

“What about you, Momo?” the princess questioned, turning to the other girl. “I mean, you were only supposed to take us to Wyndia, right?”

“Yeah, but my father used to buy machinery from the eastern lands,” Momo explained, and then grinned. “I can’t wait to see what kind of machines they have there!”

Nina giggled and Ryu smiled – they knew by now that she was mad over machines.

“Pui!” Peco cried, wanting to join in the fun.

 

* * *

 

The checkpoint was not a very busy place, since there were only very little travellers staying around to buy supplies from the nearby store. There was a Wyndian guard standing at the gate in the middle of the large wall.

Garr produced the passport when it was their turn to cross the border, and the armoured guard examined it.

“Everything looks to be in order,” he stated as he returned the passport to the Dragon-like man. “Have a safe journey, everyone.”

“Thank you,” Garr said, as he led the party forward through the gate, heading towards the bridge.

Nina bowed her head, trying not to look nervous as she followed Garr, with Ryu behind her. Most of the Wyndian soldiers would recognise her, so it would be a little hard sneak past them…

Just as she feared, the guard stared at her, a surprised expression on his face as he said, “Princess Nina?”

“Uh oh…” Ryu muttered.

“Excuse me…” The guard turned towards Garr and shook his head, hesitating. “But who is this young lady?”

Garr stopped, looking over one shoulder. “She is my daughter. Is there something amiss?”

The others gasped, but their voices were drowned by the guard’s.

“D-d-d-d-daughter?!!” the guard exclaimed, spluttering, then he recompose himself. “W-wait! By daughter, you mean she’s your child, right?”

The winged man crossed his arms, leering at them in a rather intimidating manner. “Pray tell, is there another meaning I know not?”

The guard began to tremble. “I-I mean… I-I guess she t-takes after her mother! Yes, that’s it! Her mother must be very attractive!” He gestured towards the gate with put-on enthusiasm. “S-sorry to have bothered you, good sirs and madams! Please, g-go on through!”

Quite unable to believe their good fortune, the rest of the group went after Garr onto the wide rope bridge that stretched across a large body of water that was part of the Inner Sea. As soon as they were out of sight, the two children and Momo stopped, trying to calm down from the nervousness that they felt earlier.

“Whoo, that was scary!” Momo remarked. “I thought Nina was going to get caught right there and then!”

“I did too…” Ryu admitted sheepishly.

“That was pretty close…” Nina agreed, then turned to Garr. “Thank you for covering for me like that, Garr.”

“Hm…” He gazed at her, seeming to be thinking deeply. “I had heard that Ryu oftentimes protected you, so mayhap you are necessary to show his power.”

“What?” The princess immediately turned towards Ryu, who seemed a little uncomfortable now.

The Dragon-like man stretched his massive wings. “After all, if he agrees not to use his power, we are but wasting time…”

With that, he strode forward, walking towards the other end of the bridge and leaving the others behind. Momo glanced at him, then at her two younger companions, and started walking across as well, with Peco happily bouncing after her.

The children watched them go, and then Nina spoke softly, “Ryu… you mean to say that you only use your powers because of me?” She gazed at him. “Only to protect me?”

Ryu did not know just how to answer. “…I…”

“If that’s true, then I want to be stronger!” She shook her head. “I want to learn how to fight too!”

“Nina…”

Despair washed over her face. “If… if I’m stronger, then you won’t have to use your powers… then you won’t get into trouble from using them anymore, right?”

“Nina, even if something happens to me, I’ll continue to use this power to protect you, whether you get stronger or not.” He suddenly smiled. “You’re important to me, so I want to do it.”

“But… I…” Her eyes focused on the boards of the bridge. “I don’t want to keep getting in your way…”

“Trust me, you’re not.” He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, still smiling. “I’m just happy that you’re with me, even though I’m one of the fearful Dragons.”

She looked up. “I-I trust you! I know you’re not a bad Dragon!”

He seemed happier. “Thanks, Nina. It really means a lot to me.” Seeing how far the rest of their companions were, he told her, “Well, we should get going, and don’t worry about it, okay?”

She sniffed slightly, but smiled cheerfully and nodded. “Okay.”

Just as they began to move, a gentle wind blew around the bridge, and the male voice that they did not hear spoke high above them.

“ _I’m glad, Ryu, you’re beginning to sound like your normal self again.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, instead of using the term “God”, I use the term “the Goddess”. After all, we know that she’s female from the way Garr refers to the Goddess as a “her” despite calling her “God”, and I thought it sounded better. :)


	14. Twelve: Port Town Troubles

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Twelve: Port Town Troubles**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

Unlike the Wyndia and McNeil regions where most areas were filled with greenery, the Rhapala region was filled mostly with beige stone and sand. There were occasional trees and grassy areas, the roars of the sea constantly rushing through the air, but not entirely enough to Ryu’s liking.

Just five minutes after stepping off the rope bridge from Wyndia, all of a sudden Ryu stopped, a strange look forming on his face as he turned.

“Ryu?” Nina called, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“Something’s… calling me…” he muttered, beginning to walk towards the northeast.

“Wait, Ryu, where are you going?” Momo asked, but there was no reply from him.

“Don’t worry,” the princess stated as the group followed the boy. “I’ve seen him like this once before, and that’s when he found the power of the Force Dragon.”

There were no more conversations as the group travelled, with a dazed-looking Ryu in the lead. It was not long before a lonely cabin came into view at the northern edge of the land, with a wooden staircase leading down to the small beach, but Ryu was not interested in the abandoned dusty cabin… no, he went straight to the back of the cabin and took the staircase down to the beach.

The sandy beach was small, barely enough to run around, surrounded by high stony cliffs. There was nothing out of ordinary to the others, but Ryu knew exactly where to look. His hand felt about the cliff at the end of the beach, and the moment he felt the familiar smooth surface of a small chrysm crystal, there was a burst of white light, and a strong gust of wind that was nearly strong enough to throw everyone off their feet.

Rage rose from within Ryu.

A deep hatred for something he could not identify.

Emotions that he was trying hard to avoid.

Emotions that beckoned him to fall into darkness with them.

_No… I won’t._

He tried to shut out the emotions, in fear of going berserk once more… but, among the sea of negative emotions, he found a glimpse of remorse… a faint light. Curious, he touched it.

A burst of new emotions.

A feeling of uselessness, of being unable to fulfil his duty.

A feeling of remorse, for failing those important to him.

A warrior, with nothing left to fight for.

Suddenly, Ryu understood the emotions he experienced.

_Frustrated… you’re frustrated, aren’t you…?_

Pain in his heart.

_I, too, was feeling what you did before… I, too, was overtaken by rage and hatred. But this feeling… it won’t do anything but destroy you and all you want to protect._

Defiance.

_Is this truly what you want? Is this truly what you want to do…?_

Uncertainty.

_But there’s no need for these feelings anymore._

Ryu pulled out the chrysm crystal, holding it close to his heart.

_I’ll free you, so you don’t have to suffer like this anymore._

There was a sudden rush of determination, which surprised him, and words entered his mind.

“ _Thank you, my lord,”_ a harsh voice, tinged with a fraction of gentleness, spoke. _“Never have I met someone who understood me like he understands himself… I can sense that you have much more to fulfil.”_ A soft growl. _“Please allow me to fight alongside you, my lord, to fulfil my task as a warrior!”_

He smiled. _Gladly._

The light continued to engulf him, as hot energy shot out from the chrysm crystal and surged through his veins. He doubled over with a cry, the energy growing and growing inside him, then he screamed as it exploded out of him in a great burst, as if a valve had exploded.

Once the light dimmed, Ryu had turned into another Dragon, this time bigger and more ferocious-looking. The Trygon was rather similar to the Force Dragon in form, except that the former was bigger, had gleaming golden scales instead of green, horns pointing out from the sides of his mouth and spikes along the lower end of his tail, in addition to the pair of dark horns on his head.

He felt anger. Hatred. A tendency towards violence.

He shivered; the owner of this Dragon form still had some lingering feelings towards his death…

“Wow, Ryu…” Nina said in awe, approaching him.

Momo gasped loudly, then grinned excitedly. “Oh boy! A new Dragon form!”

“Pukyu!!” Peco replied, bouncing excitedly as well, though he was probably just copying Momo.

Garr merely looked from the top of the staircase, watching with the mildest amount of interest.

Glowing, Ryu reverted back to his human form, shivering as he remembering the anger and hatred that he felt just from being in the Trygon form... he would have to refrain from using it too much, just in case he would end up killing, and he did not want to resort to that…

“Ryu?” the princess called from behind him.

He spun around, immediately realising that his companions were watching him. He grinned embarrassedly as he answered, “Oh, sorry, I lost track of things for a moment.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” She smiled. “How’s the new form?”

“Um, it’s okay, I guess.” _It wouldn’t do to tell her about it…_

She beamed. “I hope that it’ll help you better!”

He returned the smile. “I hope so too.” He began to move towards the staircase. “Let’s keep on going to Rhapala, okay?”

“Hm…” Garr held his chin in one hand, thinking deeply as the two children climbed the staircase. “This building seems abandoned. Although the sun sets not for a time, it would be wise to make this our camp. Rhapala is but a three day journey from here, after all.”

  
”Three days?” Nina echoed. “That sounds like a long time…”

Momo grinned. “Well, if you could get Ryu to fly us to Rhapala, we’ll be there in no time at all!”

The boy stared at her. “I don’t think I can carry all of us at once…”

“Oh, you can if Momo puts some strong machines on you!” the princess remarked slyly.

“Aw, do I really have to?”

“I fear he can carry not my weight,” Garr stated with a twinkle in his eyes. “A little trouble, perhaps.”

The older girl elbowed him. “Are you sure it’s only _a little_ trouble?”

Ryu grinned, feeling cheeky all of a sudden. “It’ll cost you double, Garr.”

Everyone laughed.

 

* * *

 

It took three days for them to arrive at the port town of Rhapala, which was situated a short distance away from large mountain next to the sea. The moment they passed the gates, Ryu felt the same feelings of peacefulness and rhythm here as he did in Wyndia, but filled with even more activity. Garr had explained that this port town was the home of the Porter’s Guild, hence nearly everyone living here was either a sailor in the guild or a fisherman.

“We would sooner reach Angel Tower by boat,” Garr stated. “I will inquire about the ship. Mayhap you would like to explore the town?”

“Oh, yes!” Momo cried. “There are so many machines here I’d like to see!”

“Pukyu!” came Peco’s answer, but it sounded neither like yes nor no.

“I’ll come with you, Momo!” Nina turned towards the boy. “Coming, Ryu?”

Ryu was a little taken aback by this sudden question. “Um, okay.”

“Very well. Let us meet outside the inn later, are we agreed?” When they nodded, the winged man strode off.

“All right, let’s go to the wharf! I’ll bet there are a lot of steam engine ships there!” Momo grinned. “Oh boy! I can’t wait!!”

The two children would rather explore other areas, but since they did not know where to go first, they just sighed and allowed the red-haired girl to lead the way.

However, a few minutes later, Nina asked, “Hey, what happened here?”

There was a good reason for her question. Despite the fact that the wharf was still bustling with activity, there was a definite gloom in the air as the sailors went about their work miserably, and there was not a single ship to be seen anywhere nearby.

“That’s funny, what happened to all the ships?” Momo asked no one in particular.

Ryu shook his head. “No idea, maybe we could ask around and–” All of a sudden he stopped. “Hey, what’s up over there?”

The girls turned towards the direction he pointed at, and saw that there was a lot of noise coming from the far end of the wharf, where several people gathered.

There was a huge man, who was almost as tall as Garr and just as muscular. He wore a striped red shirt, blue knee-length shorts and black shoes, complete with a crew cut and a beard, and he had an extremely egoistic grin on his face as he flexed his biceps.

Behind him was an exasperated-looking girl in her early twenties, who had on a white tank top that exposed her stomach, rather short blue shorts, tall brown boots and a violet bandanna around her thick, straight golden hair.

A skinny black-haired man in a black vest over a long-sleeved shirt and long brown pants was standing in front of the muscular man, trying to reason with him while attempting to avoid getting his thick spectacles from being stolen by a small half-monkey man in a red shirt and white shorts, who seemed to want to cause as much trouble for him as possible.

“It doesn’t look very good…” Nina observed.

“It sure ain’t!” a voice beside them agreed, belonging to an old sailor puffing a pipe. “Ol’ Zig’s at it again today!”

“Zig?” Ryu said.

The sailor pointed towards the noisy group of people. “Ya see that big guy there? That’s Zig, and he thinks he’s at the top of the world because he’s the strongest sailor here. Always chasing Shadis.” He gestured at the girl with violet bandanna. “That’s the Guildmaster’s daughter.”

Nina shook her head. “But… she doesn’t look very happy.”

“She ain’t, I tell ya, that Zig’s the biggest oaf in the Guild!”

“And who’s that little man?” Momo asked, pointing to the small half-monkey man, who was now clapping as he cheered.

“Aye, that’s Iggy, always following Zig like a dog. And that–” With his pipe, the sailor gestured to the skinny man that Zig was harassing. “–is Beyd, the Guild’s bookkeeper. He’s been friends with Shadis since they were kids.”

“I see, so in summary…” The princess thought for a moment. “Zig’s chasing Shadis, but she doesn’t like him, and he’s always bullying Beyd with Iggy’s help? That’s not very nice…”

“Ah, well.” The sailor shrugged. “What with the ship’s down and the lighthouse being out and all, this ain’t my biggest concern.” He turned. “Well, I’d better head back to work. So long, kids.”

Puffing on the pipe, the sailor then left, and Ryu, Nina and Momo focused on the strange group.

“Zig, Iggy, please,” Beyd said, shaking his head. “Can’t you leave Shadis alone? No one’s decided on anything yet…”

“What? Leave her alone?” Zig laughed. “Ya gotta be kidding! She needs someone who can get things done, like me!”

“Yeah!” Iggy piped up. “Besides, Sinkar already given Zig his approval to marry her!”

“That may be true…” The bookkeeper straightened himself. “But as the person in charge of the Guild’s finances…”

“You? Hah!” The burly sailor, just to show his strength, roughly pushed Beyd to the ground. “Don’t you worry, Beyd! Between Shadis and me, the Porter’s Guild’ll be in good hands!” He grinned, turning around to face the girl. “Ain’t that right, Shadis?”

Shadis frowned, her arms crossed. “Hmph! Don’t get ahead of yourself, Zig!”

Instead of feeling angry, Zig went off in a loud guffaw, as though she had uttered a good joke. “Hahahaha!! Don’t be shy, Shadis! We’ll make a great team, you and me!” Seeing how the girl refused to even look at him, he turned towards Beyd. “Well, see ya, Beyd!”

As Zig and his trusty half-monkey sidekick went off, laughing loudly, Ryu and Nina went over to Beyd’s side, helping him up.

“Are you okay?” Nina asked.

“I’m all right, thank you.” The skinny man stood up, looking rather embarrassed. “I’m sorry about that…” He dusted his clothes and wiped his spectacles clean before putting them back on his nose. “I’m Beyd, the bookkeeper for the Porter’s Guild. How can I help you?”

“We came to ask about the ship,” Momo answered, with Honey climbing up her robe to get to her shoulder.

“The ship? Well, if you want to know about the ship…” He gestured towards the girl with the violet bandanna. “You’ll need to talk to Miss Shadis here.”

Shadis still had her arms crossed and a frown on her face, and she replied in a frustrated voice, “People keep asking me about the ship, but the ship’s not coming back! Understand?” She shook her head, waving a hand angrily. “Oh, it gives me such a headache!”

“Shadis…” He sighed and stood in front of her. “Look, Shadis, just because you’re not feeling good doesn’t mean that you can act like that in customers…” He spoke softly and with understanding, and it was clear that he cared about her very much.

She stomped her foot once and glared at him. “Not feeling good? And whose fault do you think that is?! It’s you, you doofus!” She put her hands on her hip. “You probably don’t care if I get married to someone like Zig anyway, do you?! Hmph!”

Without giving him as much as a second to explain, she ran off, fuming.

Once again, Beyd sighed and turned apologetically towards the two children and Momo. “I’m so sorry, she’s a little upset right now…”

Nina shook her head. “It’s okay, we understand.”

He nodded. “Anyway, as she said, the ship’s not back yet, so we can’t sell you a ride right now. On behalf of the Porter’s Guild, I apologise for the inconvenience.”

“No, it’s okay,” Ryu said. “Thank you anyway.”

They decided to leave the bookkeeper alone then, so they walked towards the direction of the town, with Peco bouncing behind them.

“So, what do we do now?” Momo questioned.

“I think we should tell Garr about the ship…” Ryu stated. “Let’s go and find him in town.”

The girls nodded and they continued walking, but just as they reached the entrance of the wharf, Shadis was there, waiting for them.

“Shadis?” Nina called.

The Guildmaster’s daughter shook her head, seemingly calmer now. “I’m sorry about what happened earlier. I was just a little frustrated, with so many happening at once…” She sighed a little. “I’m sorry, but I really can’t tell you anything about the ship now, since we haven’t heard of it since it left port.”

Ryu felt disappointed. “I see…”

“But, there’s one thing I can suggest. If you’re really in a hurry, you can ask my father, Guildmaster Sinkar, and see if he’ll let you use the road around Mt. Zublo. He should be in the pub below the inn.”

The princess nodded. “We’ll do that, thank you very much.”

With a farewell wave, Shadis went back into wharf again, and the group left towards the town. The moment they took a few steps, however, they met Garr, who happened to be heading to the wharf.

“Oh, here you are,” Garr stated. “I was looking for you.”

“And we were looking for you,” Momo told him.

“Garr,” Nina called. “The ship’s not coming back yet, the Guildmaster’s daughter told us.”

“The sailors sang the same song.” Garr shook his head. “Our luck is ill, that this should happen whilst we are in a hurry.”

“But we can ask the Guildmaster about letting us go around the volcano,” the boy said. “He’s in the pub below the inn.”

“A plausible idea.” He nodded. “Let us go.”

Unluckily for them, however, meeting with Sinkar did not yield a good result either.

“Sorry, I’m afraid you can’t use the road either,” the Guildmaster had said. “You see, that volcano called Mt. Zublo just erupted a little while ago and now the road’s blocked off by the lava. If you want to go east, you’ll have to wait for the ship.”

Ryu sighed the moment he was outside the inn. “I guess we’ll just have to wait here until the ship comes… but we don’t even know when it’ll be back.”

“We have done aught and all we could.” The Dragon-like man gazed upward upon the sky, which was now beginning to turn a great orange colour. “The day grows late. We should prepare for the night.”

 

* * *

 

After their meal of rabbit stew, they sat around the campfire, resting and pondering over what to do next. Peco and Honey, however, were running (the onion was bouncing, or rather) around the others, playing chase.

“No ship and a blocked road…” The azure-haired boy sighed. “I guess we’re really stuck here for a while…”

“Hm…” Momo thought deeply. “Maybe if we fixed the lighthouse, the boat will come back.” Her eyes shone. “I hope they’ll let me in! I’d love to see the machinery they use in the lighthouse!”

Garr shook his head. “Your knowledge on machines may be unrivalled, but no doubt none save members of the guild are permitted in the lighthouse.”

Realisation washed over her face. “Oh yeah…”

Once more they lapsed into silence, watching Honey catch up with Peco and jump onto his head. Nina, who had been silent ever since they set camp, suddenly spoke up.

“Say…” she started, gazing at her companions. “Do you think that Shadis likes Beyd?”

“Huh?” Ryu said, thinking that he heard wrongly.

“And Beyd’s in love with Shadis, right?” She thought for a moment. “But he’s too shy to tell her…”

“Well…” Momo scratched her head uncertainly. “Maybe they do like each other… but what does that have to do with anything?”

“I just feel that it’s rather unfair to Shadis if Beyd doesn’t do anything, and it’s not like we’re getting anywhere for a while, right?” Nina beamed. “I know! I’ll go talk to him and tell him what he needs to tell her!”

The rest of the group were rather dumbfounded, and said nothing in reply. All that was heard was the crackling of the campfire and Peco’s triumphant cry of “Pukkiiii!!” as he threw Honey onto the ground.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Garr declared that he was going to train outside the port town and decided to bring Peco along to see if he could teach the onion how to fight. Ryu thought he was trying to escape the mushy scenes that didn’t fit his image… but he didn’t dare voice it out.

Nina, of course, was going to go and meet Beyd, the boy wanted to go with her to make sure that she stayed safe, and Momo wanted to meet Shadis to see if she would let her fix the lighthouse.

So it was settled – Ryu, Nina and Momo would go into town and meet the other two at their previous camp site by sundown.

At the same end of the wharf as the day before, Beyd and Shadis were there, ignoring Zig and Iggy who were showing off and talking at the top of their voices as usual. Taking a deep breath, Nina strode over to the bookkeeper and spoke to him softly.

“Say, Beyd…” she started. “You’re in love with Shadis, aren’t you?”

The effect was immediate; Beyd jumped a foot into the air, beginning to look flustered. “Wh-wh-wh-what… what are you talking about?!”

Shadis, who was standing not too far away, heard his loud exclamation and turned, puzzled.

_That’s… really too abrupt…_ Ryu thought, shaking his head.

“Don’t be so embarrassed,” the princess continued. “I’m sure Shadis likes you too!”

Once Zig and Iggy caught Shadis’ name, they turned as well.

Beyd turned a bright shade of crimson when he saw everyone’s eyes on him. “W-wait! Wait just a minute! W-w should just talk about this somewhere else…”

“Huh?” Nina looked puzzled. “Okay…”

A moment later, once they had found a private area on the wharf where they could speak without anyone listening to them, the princess went on with her plan again.

“You like Shadis, don’t you, Beyd?” she asked.

“What are you talking about?” The man turned red once again. “Of course I like her, she’s my friend, but…”

She nodded. “You need to go and propose to her!”

“WHAT?!!” he exclaimed loudly, shaking his head quickly. “P-p-p-p-p-propose?!! I c-c-can’t do that! She needs someone strong and, and, and… reliable to help her run the Guild!!”

“Then you need to get strong!”

“I… I don’t know…” Beyd lowered his head sadly. “That’s easier said than done. Look at me, I’m a weakling…”

Nina was still enthusiastic. “No problem! We’ll help train you!”

“What?!” Ryu, Momo and Beyd all cried simultaneously.

“That’s right!” She beamed. “It looks like we won’t be going anywhere until the boat comes, so we’ll help you get stronger!”

“H-hey, Nina…” Ryu began, but his words were not heard. “Momo, when did we agree to this?”

The older girl simply shrugged, looking confused.

He sighed. _Since when Nina’s as rash as Momo?_

Beyd was silent for a long time, but he finally answered, “No, I don’t think it’ll work…”

“C’mon!” the princess urged him. “You won’t know unless you try!”

For a moment he looked as though he was going to agree, then he suddenly started walking away, stopping only to say, “I’m… going back to work…”

With that, he turned and left.

“Um…” Nina thought hard. “Did I say something wrong?”

Momo shook her head. “Not really, maybe he just needs some time to think.”

Ryu nodded. “I think so too.”

“I see…” The princess smiled. “Oh well, we’ll give him some time to think! We’ll just come and find him later!”

“That’s not a bad idea, but…” The other girl scratched the back of her head. “But what are we going to do until then?”

“Um…”

They just stared at each other for a while.

“Um, why don’t we just explore the place for a while?” the boy suggested. “I mean, that way we might find something to do.”

The girls nodded.

They headed back into town, since they had already seen most of the wharf due to them coming to this area often, and explored the roads and stores there. Around various edges of the town, there were a lot of men waiting with their fishing rods at their side, and many cats were lying in wait to steal fishes from the pails.

As Ryu watched them, however, a strange feeling rose from inside him, feeling as though he missed going fishing. He felt puzzled, since he had never went fishing before in his life… or had he? But since they had nothing to do, why not?

“Hey, guys…” he started, facing the other two.

“Hm?” Nina turned. “What is it, Ryu?”

He hesitated for a moment. “Um… well… I saw those people fishing at the side of the wharf…”

“Fishing?” Momo echoed.

“And… I just thought it might be fun, so…”

“That’s a good idea!” Nina stated, beaming.

He was surprised at her reaction. “R-really?”

She nodded. “At least we have something to do now!”

Momo grinned. “And my father always said that fishing helps to calm the mind!”

Ryu smiled. “Okay, let’s go pick up some fishing gear then!”

It was evident how much Ryu actually knew about fishing when he looked over the fishing gears at the store, for he knew immediately which rods were good and those that were not, as though he had already done this before. Even after they had found a good place near the entrance of the wharf to fish, the girls were surprised to see him knowing exactly how to hook the bait at the end of the line and toss the fishing rod into the water.

“Wow, Ryu, have you actually gone fishing before?” Nina asked, awed.

The boy turned red. “Actually… no, I don’t think so. But it’s strange how I remember things about fishing when I haven’t actually done it…”

“Maybe you did it before but you’ve forgotten?” Momo suggested.

“If that’s true, then you’re beginning to remember!” the princess suddenly cried, excited.

“Hey, that’s true!” Ryu thought deeply, but then shook his head in disappointment. “…no, I can’t remember anything else yet.” He smiled. “But if I do, I’ll tell you all about it.”

She beamed. “That’s a promise!”

They sat there, at the edge of the wharf with their feet dangling above the water, listening to the seagulls crying in the sky as they waited for a fish to bite their line. After a few long minutes, however, Nina began to fidget.

“It’s taking such a long time…” she said.

“Fishing is mostly about patience and luck,” Ryu explained. “Sometimes we can catch a lot in a few minutes, sometimes we sit for hours and catch none at all…”

“Aw, that’s a little boring…”

Momo grinned, holding up a book. “That’s why I always prepare myself for long travels!”

Nina’s eyes lit up. “Hey, that’s a good idea!”

She laughed, and handed her the thick book. “Here, want to read this?”

“Okay!” The princess gladly took the hard covered book and read the title. “Chrysm Machine Soldiers and How They Function… um…” Embarrassed, she returned it to the other girl. “Sorry, I don’t think I’ll be able to understand machines even if I read this.”

“Haha, it’s okay, many people are like that!” She cheerfully took the book back and propped it against her lap again.

“You really do like machines, don’t you, Momo?” Ryu observed and grinned. “Mad about them, I’d think!”

“Not anymore mad than you are about fishing!” she retorted, also grinning.

“Hey!”

Honey, who sat between the two girls, shrugged and shook her head in an exasperated manner.

Nina laughed. “Well, before you two get into a fight, I’ve been meaning to ask you, Momo…” She gazed at the little robot doll beside her. “How did you first meet Honey?”

“Hm…” The red-haired girl thought for a moment to recall. “Remember how you saw a lot of robots looking for chrysm in my tower?”

“And Honey came looking for chrysm too?” Ryu guessed.

Momo nodded. “Yeah, she was able to get past the traps I’ve set to block those robots off, and I found her in my lab one day.” She patted the robot doll on the head. “Unlike the other chrysm machine soldiers, though, she doesn’t seem to have any offensive capabilities…”

Nina smiled. “But I bet she’s smart! She understands us, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah!” The older girl grinned. “She helped me a lot in my experiments too, and always reminds me when I forget things!”

And Honey nodded, again in an exasperated manner.

The blond-haired girl giggled. “I bet she’s really tired of reminding you every time you forget!”

Momo grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, sometimes I think so too, and my father told me that every single day!”

All three of them laughed.

“So, your father loves machines?” Nina questioned, curious.

“Yes, and he’s the greatest scientist ever!” Momo beamed. “He’s really great; he invented so many things that his name was famous all over Wyndia!” Her voice trailed off and lowered slightly as a faraway look washed over her face. “But he stopped inventing things after my mother died, and just focused on studying chrysm instead. I think he just didn’t want to meet with people…”

“Momo…” Ryu muttered, knowing quite well the feeling of losing someone.

Almost instantly, she perked up again. “But it’s okay! He’s still the greatest scientist to me, and I’m trying to walk the same path as he did!”

“That’s great, Momo!” Nina stated, perking up as well.

Suddenly they heard several splashes and immediately turned, only to see Honey holding on tightly to the fishing rod they had forgotten about. She struggled with the pole, pulling here and pulling there while trying to reel the line in, but before long she was dragged headfirst into the water.

“Honey!” Nina and Momo cried simultaneously, standing up.

“I’ll get her!” the boy volunteered as he jumped straight into the water, but luckily he did not need to dive far to get Honey. No sooner than fifteen seconds passed, his head appeared above the surface again, one hand holding the fishing rod and the other holding the robot doll, who seemed very sorry for herself.

“Momo, would she rust?” the princess asked in concern as she carried Honey and dried her with the hem of her pink dress.

The red-haired girl shook her head. “Nah, she’s completely waterproof.”

Ryu, who had pulled himself out of the seawater, dripping wet, abruptly started laughing. The girls stared at him as though he was something out of this world, and Nina asked, “Um, what’s so funny?”

He could not answer for a while because he was laughing so hard, making them stare even harder at him, but all of a sudden something small big and slimy slid out from under him shirt and armour – it was a large fish, about a foot long, and it was still wriggling.

He took a deep breath in relief, sinking to a sitting position. “Whew, a fish really tickles…”

For a moment, the trio gazed at the fish, and then burst out laughing.

“Gosh, and I was thinking what was wrong with you!” Momo remarked.

“Oh, I’m perfectly sane!” Ryu replied, grinning.

Nina giggled. “Sane, but ticklish!”

And they continued laughing.

 

* * *

 

A few hours of fishing and laughter later, the sun rested on the horizon, transforming the sea into a great golden colour with its rays. The seagulls still flew around the wharf, crying loudly, but there were many that had started their way back to their nests, and even some sailors had already started heading indoors.

“Well, it’s getting pretty late,” Ryu observed as he reeled in the fishing rod. “And I’m pretty hungry, aren’t you?”

“I am!” Nina answered.

Momo grinned. “Me too, so let’s head back and cook all these fishes!”

Just as they were leaving for the town’s exit to meet up with Garr and Peco, however, they heard a familiar guffaw that belonged to Zig, which was loud enough to reach all corners of the wharf. Knowing that something was up again, the trio looked at each other and quickly made their way towards Beyd and Shadis’ usual spot.

“Hey! Shadis!” Zig cried as they neared the place. “You can get your wedding dress fitted now! I’ll get the lighthouse fixed before you can say ‘I do’!”

“Yeah, way to go, Zig!” Iggy cheered. “You’d be the head of the Guild in no time!”

The Guildmaster’s daughter looked absolutely disgusted, pushing the huge man back at arm’s length. “All right, all right already! Now just leave me alone!!”

Beyd could only watch from behind them, with despair shown plainly on his face. He was in a sitting position on the ground, as though he had been roughly pushed down.

“Beyd, what happened?” Ryu asked, as the three of them stepped up to him and helping him up.

The bookkeeper sighed. “Zig said he’s going to go and fix the lighthouse… if he does it, there’s no doubt that he’s the strongest man around, and Sinkar will name him as his successor for sure…”

“T-that means…” Nina shook her head. “Zig will marry Shadis…”

Somehow those words had a great effect on Beyd – instantly, a look of determination formed on his face, even as he watched his childhood friend being harassed by Zig. He turned towards the three of them so suddenly that he made them jump.

“Please, I want you to train me!” he declared. “Make me strong so I can repair the lighthouse before Zig!” He shook his head, his fists clenched very tightly. “I can’t just give up! Not without trying!”

“That’s the way to go!” Momo cried, with Honey jumping up and down on her shoulder.

“Here, take this.” The man gave them a large bag of money. “I hope that one-thousand zenny is enough, please get me some armour and a weapon that are not too heavy.”

Ryu took the money and nodded. “Okay, I’ll do that.”

“When and where should we meet?” the princess asked, seeming happier now that Beyd was going to try to get stronger.

Beyd nodded. “I have to work during the day, so I can only train at night… meet me in the town square tonight, okay?” With a quick glance at Shadis, he continued, “I have to return to work now. I’ll meet you tonight.” Then he went off.

“Wow, I didn’t expect him to accept it so quickly!” Nina remarked as they walked towards the entrance of the town.

“Yeah, me neither,” Ryu agreed. “Let’s hope that he’ll be able to get stronger.”

 

* * *

 

Once they told Garr about what happened, he nodded and said that he would come and watch as well. The three of them felt better about it; since the winged man was rather experienced in battling, he would be able to help them with the training.

After dinner, all five of them packed their things and left for the town square in the middle of Rhapala, where Beyd was already waiting for them.

“Here,” Ryu said, handing out a piece of grey armour and a long sword. “It’s the lightest we could find…”

“Thank you so much,” Beyd thanked him as he reached out to take the equipment.

The moment Ryu released his hold, both armour and sword fell onto the ground immediately, with the bookkeeper struggling to pick them up, and everyone else stared at him.

“W-whoa, I didn’t realise that they’ll be so heavy…” the bookkeeper muttered.

He struggled with them, trying to pull them up, but then decided to carry just the sword first. He held the hilt tightly, then pulled… and ended up lifting it with too much strength. The weapon completed a full arc over his head and struck the ground behind him, forcing him to fall flat on his back. Peco, who happened to be just behind him, shrieked and jumped when the blade slammed onto the ground right in front of him, missing his head by inches. Within a split second, he was hiding behind Momo in fear.

The group felt exasperated; Ryu slapped his forehead, Nina sighed, Momo groaned and Garr turned away. Even Honey shook her head with one hand covering her eyes.

This would be a really long night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know the Trygon is basically just the golden form of the Force Dragon… but I added it in for fun. :D


	15. Thirteen: One Thing Leads to Another

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Thirteen: One Thing Leads to Another**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

For three consecutive nights in a row, Ryu and the others trained Beyd so he would be strong enough to go and repair the lighthouse. Even though he still seemed weak, the bookkeeper was rather determined and enthusiastic about the training and he worked very hard to get stronger. There were even many occasions when he caught Ryu off-guard and nearly injured him with his sword.

Despite Zig’s boasting about going to the lighthouse, he kept saying that it could wait. Day after day he went after Shadis, bragging about how great he was and how together they would make the Guild a big success, and Beyd only watched, tight-lipped, wishing that he was already strong enough to stop all this nonsense.

Today, however, would be different.

After Ryu, Nina and Momo arrived at the wharf to do more fishing, Zig and Iggy came again to the usual end of the wharf, and Beyd took no notice of them as he went on with his work. But the muscular man seemed to be extra pleased with himself this time, and it showed in his stride as he made his way towards the Guildmaster’s daughter.

“Hey, Shadis!” he cried. “How ‘bout you and I go get a room together, eh?!”

“Pretty smooth, boss!” Iggy cheered. “Go for it!”

Shadis turned away in disgust, crossing her arms. “Go by yourself!”

All of a sudden he grabbed her wrist, with a huge grin on his face. “Now that ain’t the way to talk to your future husband!”

She tried to break away. “Ugh! Let me go, you beast!!”

With one hand still gripped around her wrist, he used the other to pull her nearer by the waist, close enough for her to smell his breath. “C’mon now! Don’tcha wanna have some fun?!” He let out a loud guffaw.

Iggy clapped loudly. “Way to go, boss!!”

Beyd, who had been quietly watching, could not stand it anymore – it was too much for him to watch Shadis being harassed like this all the time. Before even Ryu could react, the bookkeeper suddenly lunged forward and pushed the huge man away from Shadis, surprising everyone with a sudden burst of strength.

“What?!” Zig exclaimed, stepping back. “What do you think you’re doing, Beyd?!”

Beyd said nothing.

“Beyd?” Shadis called.

“Shadis, I…” He looked firm, still standing between her and Zig. “I’m going to the lighthouse.”

“What?!” the muscular man exclaimed again.

“It’s Zig here who’s going!” Iggy cried. “So just butt out, Beyd!”

Upon hearing this, Zig recovered from his initial surprise and regained his composure, so he spoke in his usual loud voice, “That’s right! I’m the strongest, so I’m the one going to the lighthouse!!” He shook a fist menacingly in front of the bookkeeper’s face. “You got a problem with that, you’ll have to fight me!!”

Beyd still did not answer for a while, but soon he nodded. “Fine, I challenge you to a fight! The winner gets to go to the lighthouse!” He pointed a finger towards Zig. “Tonight, at the town square!”

He grinned. “All right! Get ready to lose real bad tonight, Beyd!” Then he turned his gaze onto Shadis. “Get ready to kiss the winner after this match, Shadis, and it’ll be me!! Bwahahaha!!” With that, he left with Iggy following behind him like a dog, both of them laughing loudly.

“Beyd!” Nina called as she and her companions went to his side.

“You… you goof!” Shadis shook her head, exasperated. “How could you be so reckless?!”

The bookkeeper smiled sheepishly, back to his normal meek self again. “I’m sorry, I really don’t know what came over me. But now I can’t back out of it…”

“I’m sure you can do it, Beyd!” the princess said.

“That’s right, Beyd!” Shadis cried. “You have to beat that bozo and win!”

“Go for it!” Momo said.

Beyd smiled. “T-thanks, everyone. I’ll certainly do my best tonight.”

Only Ryu stayed silent. Now that they were all worked up over the fight, he hadn’t the heart to tell them that he doubted the bookkeeper would even be on par with that burly sailor…

_Who knows? Maybe luck will be on his side…_

 

* * *

 

“All right!” Iggy shouted loudly, standing on one side of the town square. “We’re here to decide who gets to go to the lighthouse to fix it! Will it be Beyd, or the boss?”

It was already night, with the moon shining brightly in the sky and illuminating the square. All of them were there – Ryu and his friends including Garr and Peco, Beyd and Shadis, and Zig and Iggy. However, somehow news that Beyd and Zig were going to duel leaked out among the sailors, so there were well over a hundred spectators standing around the side of the square to watch. Some were even supplied with drinks and food.

Ryu glancing around nervously, thinking the same thing as his companions did – would Beyd be able to win?

“Pipe down! The duel’s starting now!” Iggy yelled, quite enjoying himself. “Get ready! Three… two… one… and FIGHT!!”

Zig cracked his knuckles, grinning confidently. “I hope you have enough bandages, Beyd! HAH!!”

The crowd gasped as he abruptly rushed forward, hitting his opponent hard with his fists, and Beyd had no chance to react. The air was filled with boos and cheers as the skinny man was punched in the stomach, hit in the jaw and pummelled in the face, and soon he was on the ground covered with bruises.

“Fight back, Beyd!” Nina cried, trying to make her voice heard above the combined voices of the crowd. “Fight!!”

“C’mon!” Ryu shouted as well.

Zig stepped back, rather triumphant, and he began to wave a hand in Shadis’ direction. “Heh! Don’t you worry, Shadis! There ain’t a chance for me to lose to this wimp!”

“Beyd!!” Shadis called, ignoring him. “Beyd! Get up! You have to win!!”

This seemed to perk the bookkeeper up, for he attempted to stand up again even though he was rather battered up. As he struggled to his feet, he yelled, “Here I come!! YAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

The crowd cheered as he charged forward towards Zig, holding his sword high up in the air. His muscular opponent was still waving at Shadis, distracted, and it seemed as though he was going to be sliced…

Then Beyd stumbled, landing on the ground with a loud crash, his sword accidentally flung into the air.

Everyone’s groan caught Zig’s attention, and it made him look even more triumphant than before. He loomed over Beyd, cracking his knuckles menacingly, with a huge grin on his face. “Now I’ve got yo–”

_BONK!!_

The extremely hard hilt of Beyd’s sword had landed squarely on his head.

Everyone gasped again as a dazed look came to Zig’s face. A dopey grin came to his face and he swayed sideways, his arms hanging loosely by his side, then he stopped. He seemed to be floating on his two legs… and his massive body crashed onto the ground with a tremor.

The air became thick with stunned silence, all eyes focused on the unmoving body on the ground.

After a moment, Beyd muttered disbelievingly, “I… I won…”

Then, as though a valve had exploded, the crowd cheered loudly, their voices echoing all across Rhapala.

“Oh no! Boss!!” Iggy exclaimed, running to Zig’s side. “I-I don’t believe it!! How could big ol’ Zig here lose to the wimp?!!”

In the midst of all the crowd’s cheers, Shadis rushed to help her childhood friend up. “Beyd, are you all right?” She shook her head, concerned. “Look at you… you’re all beaten up…”

The bookkeeper smiled, despite the fact that he was aching and bruised all over. “Oh, don’t worry about these… I’m fine.” He bowed his head, focusing his gaze onto the ground. “Shadis, if… you married Zig, I’d lose you forever, and I don’t want that…”

“Oh, Beyd!” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

He turned red and began to stammer. “I-I want to help you, Shadis, l-let’s take care of the guild t-together…”

She nodded happily, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “I’ve been waiting to hear that for ages!”

“Boss! Boss!!” Iggy shouted. “Did you hear that?! Boss! Wake up, boss!!” But his attempt was futile, for Zig was well unconscious on the ground.

Beyd smiled in gratitude as he looked upon Ryu, Nina and the rest of their group. “Thank you, thank you all so much… If you hadn’t convinced me to fight Zig, then…” He shook his head. “I guess… then I would have stayed the same old Beyd… a ninety-eight pound weakling…”

“No, you did it on your own, Beyd,” Ryu said, beaming. “We only helped you a little.”

“Yeah!” Nina smiled as well. “I’m just glad everything worked out, Beyd.”

“Yeah, I’m glad too…” Beyd nodded. “Still, thank you all so much.”

Garr cleared his throat. “Now then, might I but suggest some rest?”

“Yeah, I need to patch Beyd up too,” Shadis mentioned as she draped one of Beyd’s arm around her shoulder to support him. “Thanks so much, all of you.”

As she went off with him, the crowd began to disperse and return to their respective homes for the night, leaving Zig lying in the middle of the town square. Now that he had lost, no one seemed to want to help him. Not even Ryu, who often felt inclined to help people.

“Boss! BOSS!!” Iggy’s cries echoed into the dark sky.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, they had decided to visit Beyd and Shadis again. When they arrived at the usual place at the wharf, however, they were surprised to see Beyd covered in bandages – there were bandages around his head, his left hand was bandaged, his right arm was wrapped up in a sling… and there were probably more beneath his clothes. Shadis, eager to help him however she could, was helping him to write as he dictated to her.

At the sound of the group’s footsteps, the couple looked up and smiled at them.

“Oh, hello!” Beyd greeted, waving with his free hand. “Thank you so much for everything, I feel much better now knowing that Zig wouldn’t disturb Shadis anymore!”

“I’m glad, but are _you_ okay?” Nina asked, looking at his bandages. “These look pretty painful…”

“Oh, I’m okay, don’t worry.” He smiled embarrassedly. “It’s just because I’m not used to fighting, so…” He winced as he accidentally moved his broken arm too much. “Ouch!”

“The bad thing is, now he’s in no condition to go to the lighthouse.” Shadis shook her head. “And the ship’s still not back yet…”

“I’ve been wondering…” Momo started with a hopeful grin on her face. “But could you let me fix the lighthouse? I’d love to go and see the machines there!”

“Uh oh…” Ryu muttered, and Honey, who was on his shoulder, nodded in agreement.

Shadis looked surprised. “Really? You’ll do that for us?!”

“Momo may not look it, but she’s really smart!” Nina added, beaming. “And she loves machines!”

Garr nodded. “And the ship may arrive sooner with the lighthouse working again.”

“After all you’ve done for us…” Beyd nodded, smiling in gratitude. “Thank you so much.”

“But you can’t get in just like that, since we’ve blocked off the area from the public.” Shadis fished her pocket and pulled out a shiny badge. “But this should help to get you in.”

Ryu took the badge and gazed at it. The badge’s picture consisted of a golden cat, posing haughtily on a grey anchor with the words “Porters’ Guild” in silver words.

“That’s the Guild’s badge, isn’t it?” the princess inquired.

Beyd nodded. “Yes, that shows that you’re associates of the Guild, and the sailors at the entrance to the lighthouse should let you in when you show it to them.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry for making you do this… and be careful.”

“We will,” the boy replied, pocketing the badge and keeping it safely with all his belongings. “Thanks for the badge.”

Nina nudged the bookkeeper, with a grin on her face. “Make sure you take care of Shadis!”

Both Beyd and Shadis quickly reddened, and the group laughed as they left for the western end of the wharf, where the lighthouse stood tall in the distance.

 

* * *

 

At a glance, one may not notice anything out of ordinary with the lighthouse, but once inside, it was clear that something was wrong. A layer of dust settled everywhere, indicating that no one had been here in ages. A thick silence hung in the air, devoid of the hum of machinery… and there was no one in sight.

The lighthouse was actually rather a maze of stone halls and staircases, each accompanied by complicated machinery, which drew Momo’s attention the moment she set her eyes on them.

“Whoa!” she cried. “I knew the lighthouse runs on chrysm energy, but I didn’t know they have such great machinery here!” She ran here and there, examining them with great excitement. “I could spend all day just looking at them!!”

“It is up to you…” Garr crossed his arms. “But perhaps later?”

“Oh, uh, sorry. Let’s get the lighthouse working first!” She grinned cheerfully as though she had remembered their mission from the start. “Let’s go, then!”

Honey slapped her forehead.

Even as they explored the lighthouse, the red-haired girl kept gazing at the machinery in awe and often walked into things – walls, doors, railings – but luckily her companions were more alert than she was. Even Honey had to tug at her ear to bring her attention back to reality.

After much exploring, they soon arrived in a room that was filled from the top to bottom with machines, much to Momo’s excitement and awe. Once again she bustled up and down the room excitedly, much to the others’ annoyance, but she soon found a small user guide lying nearby, presumably for new employees.

“Wow!” she kept saying as she quickly read through it, her eyes shining. “Wow!”

Nina shook his head. “Um, Momo…”

She did not hear her as she went on flipping the pages, then she grinned excitedly and looked up from the guide. “Hey, guys! Apparently this is the boiler, and it uses chrysm ores as a source of energy!!”

“Wait, when you say ‘a source of energy’…” Ryu thought for a moment. “Do you mean that the lighthouse uses this chrysm energy?”

“You bet! And I’m going to turn it on!”

Garr nodded. “A plausible idea.”

She jumped in joy. “Oh boy! I can’t wait!!”

Everyone else sat on the ground as they waited for her to read through the user guide again, thoroughly this time. When five minutes had barely passed, she tossed the book away and rolled up her sleeves.

“Okay, this is pretty simple,” she stated, pulling out a small pouch made out of a shiny substance. “All I have to do is to throw a chrysm ore into the hatch, and then flip the switch there–” She gestured towards a panel at the corner of the room. “–when the boiler’s stabilised with enough pressure!”

“Uh… okay,” Ryu said, not understanding much. “Where do we get a chrysm ore?”

“Oh, I know!” the princess piped up. “You use chrysm ores in your cannon, right?”

Momo grinned as she pulled out a glowing chrysm ore from the pouch she was holding. “You bet! Always keep an adequate supply for emergencies!” She opened a hatch in the machine and tossed the ore inside. “Okay, here goes!!”

A low hum came from the machine, gradually growing louder and louder, and it continued to hum loudly even after the red-haired girl flipped the switch at the panel. Lights appeared along the machinery, even on the ones leading outside to the numerous halls, and the boiler remained humming softly.

“There!” Momo said. “The boiler’s up and working now, all we have to do is turn on the switch at the top of the lighthouse!”

“All right then!” Nina said. “Let’s head to the top!”

Peco jumped high into the air. “Pukyuuuu!!”

Upon leaving the room, all five of them made their way upwards, soon arriving at the last hallway before the top floor. However, the moment they stepped into the large hall, there was a strange unmoving thing there. It was shaped like a large green lizard with an extremely long tail, barely taller than Momo, and both its front legs were held above its head as though it was a pedestal to hold something.

“Oh, wow!” Momo exclaimed, her eyes shining. “It’s so cuuuuute!”

“Uh, cute? I guess…” Ryu scratched the back of his head. “Well, it looks alive, but it’s not moving…”

Garr crossed his arms. “It resembles not a monster, does it not?”

“I don’t know, but…” Nina shivered a little. “I-I don’t like it… let’s just leave it alone, okay?”

With a wary eye on the lizard-like thing, they walked past it and headed towards the last set of staircase in front that led to the top floor of the lighthouse, but no sooner Ryu placed a foot on the first step, he heard a loud _thud_ accompanied by a slight tremor in the ground, as though something hard fell.

Then again. And again.

Wondering what it was, he looked up the staircase and paled immediately – something _BIG_ was bouncing down the staircase.

A colossal eyeball!

“RUN!!” he yelled, and everyone complied without a second thought.

The eyeball bounced down the staircase like a giant ball after them, creating cracks in the floor each time it landed, and then it fell onto the outstretched arms of the lizard-like thing they had passed earlier. Immediately the lizard sprang to life, its tail twitching as it struggled with the weight of the eyeball, and the numerous sinister crimson eyes on the eyeball glared at the group of five below.

“Hm…” Garr held his chin with a hand. “Did I say it resembles not a monster? Perhaps its bizarre appearance addled my mind…”

“Uh, now that I think of it…” Momo shook his head. “It’s not really that cute at all…”

“Whatever it is, it’s hostile!” Ryu cried.

The largest eye glowed menacingly, then there was a great burst of power as a giant ray of red light shot through the open space, barely missing as its targets jumped out of the way. Red sparks circled the ray, spreading to the sides, and they could feel the intensity of the power even if it passed by them.

Garr charged forward, his halberd held tightly, and struck at the largest eye, stabbing the blade right into the iris. An unearthly deep howl filled the air, like the mournful sound of a horn, and the creature retaliated with another crimson ray that missed once again. Momo’s chrysm pellet, which she had fired, hit the eyeball on one of its smaller eyes, making it shriek.

“Pukyuuuuuuuu!!” Peco cried as he bounced rapidly forward, leaped high into the air and kicked the lizard’s leg.

No response.

“Pukyupukyupukyupukyukyu!!” he shouted as he kicked the leg repeatedly.

All the eyes on the eyeball gleamed menacingly, and Garr hurriedly grabbed the onion before he could be fried with a crimson ray.

“Lightning!” Nina shouted as she waved a glowing wand in the air, and a great burst of sparks struck the eyeball. However, it did not even wince, but instead jumped right off the lizard. It leaped high into the air, barely spinning… aiming for her!

“NINA!!” Ryu yelled, rushing towards her as he took on his Force Dragon form in a burst of light, spreading his wings to fly.

The colossal eyeball narrowly missed its target once more, creating a huge crack on the floor where the princess was previously standing. Growling as he held the back of Nina’s dress in his jaws, Ryu’s eyes glowed as he retaliated with a powerful Flame Claw, and the eyeball howled as it bounced back onto the lizard’s outstretched claws. Furious, it fired another crimson ray at him, but the Dragon already saw that coming and swerved sharply to the right.

“Fire seems to hurt it a lot…” the princess observed and began charging another spell. “Ryu! Keep hitting it with fire!”

Ryu gave a low growl in reply and scratched the air with his front claws, the magical claw marks of his Flame Claw striking the eyeball and burning it. At the same time, Nina cast her spell, which coated Garr’s spear with crimson flames.

“It’s weak against fire!” she cried.

Garr nodded and charged once again, this time with a burning blade to attack with. With all of his strength, he stabbed into the monster’s largest eye.

A deep mournful howl filled the air.

“Stand back, Garr!” Momo shouted as she aimed her cannon.

Nodding, he slashed the creature once more and jumped back, giving her a clear shot.

“Heh, with such a big target, who’ll miss?!” She grinned. “Take THIS!!”

She fired her cannon at the monster, and for once the chrysm pellet exploded right on target – the centre of the largest eye. With another deep mournful howl, the creature disappeared in a flash of light before their very eyes, starting from the top of the eyeball to the feet of the lizard-like creature.

When the light dimmed, there was no sign of it anywhere.

“Wahoo!” Momo cheered. “We did it!”

The princess shook her head. “That was scary…”

Ryu nodded in agreement. “What’s a monster like that doing here, anyway?”

“Pui?” Peco said, its head tilted one side.

No one seemed to know the answer, so they just shrugged and continued on their way towards the top of the lighthouse. Once they reached the top of the last staircase, bright afternoon sunlight greeted them, accompanied by the cries of the seagulls, and a sea breeze blew lightly around them. With such peaceful scenery in view, it was hard to believe they were just in a battle with a weird monster.

At the centre of the little room, a large light bulb stood encased in a crystal, which was probably used to magnify its light to the surface of the sea, and a panel with a flip switch was just behind it.

“Well, the boiler’s up and running,” the engineer mentioned. “But I don’t know if there’s anything wrong with the machinery at all.” She beamed. “Oh well, we’ll just turn on the lighthouse and see!”

The others did not argue as she stepped up to the panel and flipped the switch. No sooner she did that, the light bulb began to shine dazzlingly, the crystal projecting the light perfectly on the surface of the roaring sea. But since it was broad daylight, the effect of the light was not clearly seen from the town.

The red-haired girl grinned. “Great! It works perfectly! Nothing wrong at all!”

“That’s great news!” Nina stated, smiling. “Let’s go back and tell Beyd and Shadis!”

They spun around, preparing to head back outside, but before they could even take a step, however, a high voice yelled loudly, “NO! Turn the lighthouse OFF!!”

“What?” Ryu said, searching around for the owner of the voice.

Something small and sparkling whizzed by their heads, making them turn, and stopped just above the switch for the lighthouse – it was a faerie, a glowing minute-sized girl with purple butterfly wings and long orange pink hair that flowed around her ankles.

And, from the way she was waving the wooden club in her hands, she was certainly less than amicable.

“I said TURN IT OFF!!” she yelled again, slamming the club into the switch.

She had only meant to flip the switch so that the lighthouse would be turned off, but she accidentally swung the club in the wrong direction and jammed it in place instead, rendering it useless. Sparks spread all over the panel, making the group jump away, and the faerie looked despaired.

“Oh no!” she cried. “Now what are we supposed to do?! After we went all the trouble to get Gazer to guard the place…”

Instantly they knew that Gazer was the name of the eyeball monster they had fought earlier, and how it had come about to roam the interior of the lighthouse.

“Um…” Nina started, not quite knowing what to say.

“But now we can’t turn it off!!” Then the faerie tossed the club in their direction, barely missing Garr’s head and wings, and she angrily waved her arms about in a tantrum. “Dummies! It’s all your fault! I hate you!!”

“Hey, wait a second!” Momo protested. “All we did was to turn the light on! Why are you so worked up over it?”

“Dummies!” she cried again. “You’d better make up for it!!” She tossed a gleaming tiara at Nina.

“Huh? What’s this?” Nina asked as he held up the tiara to look at it. It was made out of a strange blue crystal on a golden circlet, and it was very pretty to look at.

“It’s a Faerie Tiara,” the faerie answered grudgingly. “If you use it in flower rings out in the country, you can come to our world.” She waved her little arms angrily again. “And you’ll be in big trouble if you don’t!!”

With that, she flew off, just as suddenly as she had come.

“Um…” The princess shook her head. “Did we do something wrong?”

“No idea,” the boy replied, and sighed softly – they had only come to Rhapala to board a ship, but ended up getting caught in a wave of things… one thing certainly led to another.

 

* * *

 

First, they stopped at the wharf to tell Beyd and Shadis that the lighthouse was finally fixed. When Momo told them about the broken switch, the ecstatic couple assured them that it was a small thing. With the huge monster at the lighthouse was gone, their own technicians could head in and fix anything!

Convinced that now the Porters’ Guild could handle things on their own, all five of them headed outside Rhapala to look for rings of flowers as the faerie earlier had instructed. At first they just stood around, wondering which way to start searching first, then Garr led them to the western direction. Soon, they arrived at a green area, a grassy hill with several trees and flowers around.

“I have but seen one around the proximity,” Garr declared, scanning his surroundings.

“There it is!” Nina pointed towards the foot of a particular tree.

Sure enough, there was a pretty ring of flowers there, large enough to fit all of them in, but even as they stood within the circle, they did not know how to get into the faeries’ world.

“Um, how do you use this?” the princess asked, holding up the tiara.

Ryu shook his head. “I don’t know… I thought it would react or something when we stand in the ring.”

“Hm…” Momo thought for a moment. “Tiaras are meant to be worn, aren’t they? Maybe something will happen if you wear it?”

Nina nodded. “Okay.” The tiara was a little too loose for her, but she didn’t mind.

All of a sudden the blue crystal on the tiara shone dazzlingly, enveloping them with its rays, forcing them to cover their eyes. However, when the light dimmed, they found that they were no longer at a place outside Rhapala, but somewhere else.

The place seemed to be isolated from civilisation and was heavily forested, with numerous trees around the hill, the air filled with the roar of the sea. A small, shabby-looking shack stood on a ledge just above them, and they assumed that it was their destination for now.

Inside, they were greeted by a familiar high angry voice, “It’s about time you came, dummies!!”

It was the purple-winged faerie they had seen at the lighthouse earlier, this time accompanied a blue-haired, pink-winged one and a purple-haired, red-winged one.

“At least we came…” Ryu muttered to himself.

“This is strange!” Momo said, shaking her head. “This is the faeries’ world, yet it’s on the other side of the lighthouse?”

“That’s right, dummy!” the first faerie shouted. “That’s why I told you not to turn it on!!”

“But why don’t you want the lighthouse to be on?” Nina questioned, puzzled. “You have a house, so it wouldn’t shine on you at night…”

“There’s a monster here who hates the lighthouse at night!” the azure-haired faerie cried.

“And it said it’ll eat us if we don’t turn it off!!” the third faerie added in despair.

The group remained silent for a while, taking in this bizarre situation, then Ryu spoke, “When does it usually come?”

“At night!” the orange-pink-haired faerie stated. “It comes to the beach then!”

“I see…” Nina smiled. “We’ll chase it off for you, okay?”

“Really?!” the three faeries chorused. “Do you really mean it?!”

Momo nodded. “Well, it’s not like the boat’s coming anytime soon, anyway.”

Garr crossed his arms. “We have naught of a choice, since we have but arrived…”

 

* * *

 

It was a clear moonlit night with a gentle breeze, the sound of the waves soothing to one’s ears. In the distance, the rays from the lighthouse illuminated the surface of the sea, showing the way for the ships to arrive, but even now, the port of Rhapala was still empty of ships.

Ryu sat leaning against a large rock on the beach, his eyes closed as he rested. The calming sounds of the sea helped him to relax, even if he knew that he would have to fight a monster after this, and it made him hoped that the faeries were only joking.

But if the monster really did come… should he use his Dragon form? Should he transform just to intimidate it enough to chase it away?

… _no. I won’t use it for anything except to protect, I promised myself that…_

“Ryu?” Nina called.

He opened his eyes and looked up, seeing her sitting beside him. “Yes?”

“Are you… okay?” She seemed concerned and worried.

He smiled, nodding. “Yeah, I am, don’t worry.” He stared onto the sandy beach, barely noticing that Honey was chasing a hermit crab around. “I’m just wondering if I should change into a Dragon, just to scare the monster away…”

She thought for a moment, then beamed. “If you do, then we won’t have to fight, and it won’t disturb the faeries anymore!”

“I’ve thought of that, but… I won’t use it unless I really need to.” He sighed softly, closing his eyes again. “There were many times that I wish I were just an ordinary person, living an ordinary peaceful life…” He shook his head. “I don’t like the fact that I’m a Dragon.”

“But Ryu…” She held his hand in hers. “You’ve protected me so many times when you turn into a Dragon, how can you hate the power?”

“I just… do.” Then he faced her again, looking more cheery. “But you’re right, I was able to protect you with this power of mine… yeah, I should think like that.”

She smiled. “Yeah, you should, and I like you even if you’re a Dragon!”

The boy turned red immediately from this sudden declaration. “T-thanks…”

Suddenly, Momo, who was keeping watch, called out loudly as her rabbit-like ears perked up, “Hey, guys, do you see what I see?”

Immediately the two children sprang to their feet and went to her side. They caught sight of a large red fin moving about the surface of the water, first to the right then to the left, gradually nearing them. With Garr and Peco around the hills in case the monster came from that direction, Ryu thought quickly as he felt that it was his responsibility to protect the girls.

“Okay, here’s what I’m going to do…” he muttered, his hand at the hilt of his sword. “When it comes up, I’m going to hit it…”

Nina nodded. “Okay, be careful…”

They waited as the fin slowly drew nearer to them, closer and closer… then it came out of the water. Instantly in one swift motion, Ryu drew out his sword and swung it at the creature… and heard a high cry of a creature that was quite unlike a monster’s.

He blinked.

It was a red dolphin, lying on its side with part of its head showing above the surface. Surprisingly, Ryu’s sword had barely formed a scratch on its hide, as though he had hit something as hard as steel, and it got up again unhurt.

“Ow!” it cried, making them jump. “What was that for?”

“Um, sorry…” the princess shook her head. “It’s just that we were told that there was a monster coming, and… well…”

The dolphin shook its head slightly. “No worries, everyone makes mistakes… things happen.”

“He’s a nice dolphin, isn’t he?” she remarked, facing her companions. “I wonder if he’s the one the faeries told us about?”

Momo shrugged. “Well, it’s best to go and ask them… shall we?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

Both girls walked up the hill towards the hut again, leaving Ryu alone at the beach. He stared at the red creature before him, feeling that somehow he had to be careful of it… then, all of a sudden, the dolphin smirked and squirted water at him, surprising him.

“H-hey!” he exclaimed, shaking himself dry.

“Oy, what’s your problem, hitting me like that earlier?!” it said.

“My friend told you, it was a mis–”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” There was a terribly bored tone in its voice. “I was being nice ‘cause the chicks are there, but you? I won’t hold back!”

_I’m beginning to think that he’s really the monster…_

Ignoring his silence, it went on. “And what’s with the lighthouse anyway?! It’s a bloody nuisance! No one could get a wink of sleep with it shining away all night!” It squirted more water at him, then again and again. “Go on! Get rid of it! Or I’ll have to get rough with ya!”

Ryu was getting wetter and wetter by the minute, but it stopped just as all of his companions returned, once again pretending a nice dolphin.

“Ryu!” Nina called as she ran to his side. “Ryu, why are you so wet?”

Before he could reply, the faeries floated down from their hut. The moment they caught sight of the dolphin, the purple-winged one exclaimed, “That’s him! That’s the monster!”

Everyone else blinked. “Huh?”

“Yes!” the second faerie confirmed. “He told us that if we didn’t turn off the lighthouse, he’ll eat us!”

The dolphin shook its head. “Hey, the light’s too bright, so I can’t sleep… so, you think you could, like, turn it off for me?”

“Turn it yourself, dummy!” the third faerie shouted.

The dolphin frowned.

“That’s right, you dummy!” the second one yelled. “Why did you have to bully us about it anyway?!”

The frown grew bigger.

“Read my lips,” the orange-haired faerie said, “Leave us alone, you BIG – DUMB – DOLPHIN!!” She pronounced the last three words with great emphasis.

That was the final straw.

The dolphin swiftly lunged right out of the water, a sharp golden horn coming out from between its eyes as it revealed its great crimson armoured body that would remind one of a giant lobster. The faeries, frightened out of their wits, flew off in a hurry, leaving the group with the monster.

“SHADDAP, you runts!!” the red creature snarled, no longer in the amiable voice it had used earlier. “I should just fry you in oil and have you for a midnight snack!!” It roared loudly, spreading its large fins bordered with spikes. “I’ve had it! You’re dead! You’re all DEAD!!”

“Not if I can help it!” Nina shouted and unleashed the spell that she was charging. “Take this! LIGHTNING!!”

Lightning bolts immediately struck the monster with a great flash of light, its wet body enhancing the effect of the spell. Ryu and Momo winced at the electric shock as the creature’s scream echoed in the night sky, and as the spell ended, it slumped into the water up to its neck, its body numb from the shock. Before it could recover, Garr took the chance to bring his long halberd right in front of it, the blade just an inch away from its throat.

“Grr…!!” the dolphin monster growled, but it could not do anything for fear of being sliced by the weapon.

“You have but two choices,” the winged man said quietly. “One, leave and never return. Two…” He raised the blade a little higher, so that it touched the monster’s tender throat. “Refuse, and I shall take your life here and now. Choose.”

Nina watched the monster closely, her glowing wand indicated that she had a spell ready.

“…fine! I’ll leave!!” it finally shouted, grudgingly. “I won’t return, but I’ll let ya know that I’ll find some ways to pay you back for this!!”

Then, it turned and jumped back into the water, splashing water all over them, then disappeared out of their sight. Despite being wet, however, they were ecstatic that they were able to chase the monster away.

“Whoa, that was easy,” Momo commented, grinning. “And it’s all thanks to Nina!”

Nina smiled in embarrassment. “N-not really…”

Ryu beamed. “Well, looks like you don’t really need me to protect you, after all.” Then he added slyly, “Just remind me never to make you mad!”

Everyone laughed.

After a while, Garr stretched his large wings. “Well, mayhap we should return to our camp.”

The boy sneezed. “Good idea, I’m beginning to feel that I’ve already done a lot today.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was kinda funny; I spent so long training (myself and Beyd) in-game only because I was typing the story at the same time, and in the end I was overpowered… Beyd only lost about 30 HP in total (he only received 0 – 2 damage from Zig’s normal attacks, 14 damage from Lucky Strike) in the duel with Zig, and Ryu in his Dragon form only needed 3 Flame Claws to defeat Gazer and 3 Thunder Claws for the dolphin monster. I’m never this hardworking when I play the game normally!
> 
> And don’t mind me combining both Australian English and other English for the dolphin’s speech… it really looks weird if I made it speak in Australian English and then provided a translation for it, so I just combined both. xD


	16. Fourteen: Inner Conflicts

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Fourteen: Inner Conflicts**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

Ryu grew restless as two more days passed, hoping and hoping that the ship would arrive soon, but his wait was futile as there was simply no sign of the ship. He felt despaired to the point that fishing could no longer help him to relax, and he felt rather edgy, even as he stared into the distant surface of the sea.

The answers to his numerous questions about the Brood were so close, yet so far away…

After a while, though, he stood up, stretching. “I guess sitting here just like this wouldn’t help… I wonder where the others are.”

With that, Ryu started walking around Rhapala in search of his companions, stopping once only to watch a fisherman reel in the biggest fish he had ever seen. However, even though he had searched the whole of the town area, he simply could not find them.

“Hm, that’s strange… where are they?” he muttered to himself, standing on a large wooden box to get a better view of the place, but they were still not anywhere in sight. “…maybe Beyd and Shadis know where they are?”

He set out towards their usual spot on the wharf, but as soon as he arrived there, he saw that all of his companions were there, crowded around the couple as though great news were given out.

“Hey, what’s going on?” he asked curiously as he joined them.

Nina turned to face him immediately. “Ryu! I was looking for you! Where were you?”

“Never mind that now!” Momo cried, obviously excited. “Ryu! We’ve got a way east now!”

Ryu blinked, thinking that he had heard it wrong. “What?”

“It’s true!” the princess confirmed, excited as well. “Beyd and Shadis helped us out!”

Beyd smiled. “It’s still not enough to repay you all for what you’ve done for us.”

Shadis nodded, beaming. “But I’m glad we’re able to help somehow!”

“Wait, hold on!” Ryu shook his head, still confused. “I thought you said the road’s blocked and the ship’s not back?”

“Yeah, we did, but there’s another road that only authorised Guild members can use, and it goes through the volcano!”

There was silence for a while, as Ryu’s companions watched him digest the information. Then, his eyes grew wide.

“ _T-through_ the volcano?!” he finally exclaimed. “Won’t that be dangerous?”

The bookkeeper nodded. “But I’m sure that since you’re able to get rid of the monsters in the lighthouse, you won’t have much trouble at all!”

“A long time ago we used to take that road to the eastern lands, before the road around the volcano existed,” Shadis explained. “If our sailors could do it, I’m sure you could as well!”

“If you so wish, mayhap we could depart this very minute,” Garr answered, his eyes twinkling.

Ryu’s eyes gleamed. “This very minute?”

Momo grinned. “Well, the sooner we get to the eastern lands, the sooner I get to see what machines they have there!”

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Nina cried, laughing.

“Pukkiiii!!” the onion shouted, jumping about.

The winged man turned towards Beyd and Shadis. “I thank you for your assistance.”

“Oh, not at all,” Beyd said. “Thank you for all your help!”

“Godspeed!” Shadis told them. “Be sure to visit us whenever you’re in town!”

“We will!” Nina promised, smiling. “Good luck to both of you!”

And, with that, the group then prepared to leave the lively port town of Rhapala, continuing on towards their destination.

Ryu, his heart no longer despaired, gazed determinedly towards the northern mountains.

 

* * *

 

Even with their enthusiasm, they only reached Mt. Zublo a day and a half later, so they were glad when the stone staircase at the base the volcano finally loomed into view. The sky was already a great golden hue by the time they arrived, and so they decided to stop there for the night.

“It’ll be… really hot in the volcano, won’t it?” Nina asked over dinner, with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

“Undoubtedly,” Garr answered calmly. “I am quite accustomed to the heat, and I believe Ryu will be affected not as he is one of the Dragonkin…” He gazed at the girls. “I worry for you, and Peco as well.”

Ryu nodded. “Yeah, I’m a little worried too…”

“But we don’t have a choice, do we?” the younger girl stated. “If we need to reach Angel Tower, we’ll have to go through the volcano… and you do want to learn about the Dragons, don’t you?”

“I do, but…”

“We’ll be fine as long as we rush through!” Momo said, making a forward hand gesture. “Zoom! Like the wind! If the sailors can do it, then why can’t we?”

“That’s right!” Nina grinned as well. “So don’t worry about us, you two!”

Ryu felt uncertain, but could not find the words to counter them. “…okay.”

After that they resumed eating dinner in silence, while Momo returned to the book that she was reading, with Peco sleeping soundly against her leg and Honey leaning against the onion, looking as though she was asleep.

 

* * *

 

When midnight had long passed, Ryu woke up with a start. He sat up straight in the dark tent, wondering what woke him up, but as his companions were all asleep, none of them would be the culprit. Maybe it was a dream that stirred him from his sleep?

He sighed softly as he lowered himself under the covers once more, but the moment he did, he suddenly felt as though something was calling him with an inaudible cry. His ears picked up nothing, his eyes saw only darkness; and yet his whole body _felt_ the call, and the strong desire to answer the summon rose inside him.

He obeyed, only partially aware of stepping over his sleeping friends, walking out into the darkness of the night.

It was a warm and peaceful night, perfect for a short stroll. The call continued to reach out to him, leading him away from the camp site, and it grew stronger with every step he took towards it. It took him a full two minutes to climb the stone staircase at the base of Mt. Zublo and arrive at great double doors.

Beyond the doors were a stone room built into the interior of the volcano, and the first thing he saw in the room was the familiar stone statue of a Dragon, sitting majestically on a pedestal, its wings folded neatly behind it. Once again, like the first time he saw this statue at Mt. Glaus, a name came to his mind.

_Lord Ladon…?_

All of a sudden, a recognisable male voice replied, _“Heh, I see you still come when I call you, Ryu.”_

The boy jumped in surprise, searching around for the owner of the voice, but he saw no one in sight.

Was it just his imagination…?

He had heard the voice before, several times so far. Yet, until now, he didn’t know who it was… one day, he would solve the mystery.

With that, he resumed looking around the room.

The floor was decorated with green bricks, while the dark walls with lit torches, but at the opposite end of the room, however, a grey stone wall stood, with strange characters carved into it. Despite the fact that Ryu could not understand the characters at all, he could not help but feel that he had seen them somewhere before, as though he had forgotten how to read them…

He walked over to the stone wall, running a hand over the carved characters, an unconscious thought entering his mind.

_The… Cave of Ages…_

Suddenly, various memories flashed across his mind, one after another; memories of a woman with great sorcery, and memories of a man dressed in golden robes…

“ _Ladon! What did you do to Ryu?!”_ a female voice yelled in the memory.

“ _It’s nothing too horrifying, Deis, I assure you…”_ the same male voice, the one that Ryu had heard earlier, answered, then its owner sighed tiredly. _“He won’t wake up for a long time, that’s all.”_

The woman’s voice rose. _“But you’ll grow weaker, won’t you?!”_

“ _There’s nothing to be done about that. But…”_ Ladon paused for a moment. _“…don’t you trust him?”_

“ _I… I do, of course, but…”_

“ _Then trust me on this, Deis. I believe that Ryu will indeed save us all from this terrible ordeal… he’s that sort of person, after all.”_

She chuckled lightly, but with a heavy tone. _“Yes, he sure is…”_

Pain suddenly shot through Ryu’s head, forcing him to sink to his knees with one hand at the side of his head. Upon hearing the voices of Ladon and Deis, his mind was now filled with even more questions than before, even more confused than when he had first woken up in Rei and Teepo’s cabin in Cedar Woods.

But one question among all of them stood out significantly, and it was one question that would not be easily answered.

“Who… am I…?” he whispered.

Only the howl of a distant wolf replied him.

 

* * *

 

The interior of the volcano was brightly lit by numerous pools of lava, its crimson light showing between pieces of solidified basalt. There was a distinct rocky path, uncovered by lava, that allowed travellers to cross over to the other side of the mountain, but infested with monsters.

The Lava Men, humanoid creatures made of lava, were very difficult to cut through with blades, but Nina easily solved that by freezing them with Ice spells, allowing Momo and even Peco to shatter them like glass. Three-feet-tall purple reptiles, simply known as Lizards, were very swift, not to mention nippy, but were no match for Ryu’s greatly improving swordsmanship and agility. Then there were the Lizard Men, gigantic blue lizards, brandishing a gleaming scimitar and well-guarded with armour and a shield, whose strength Garr could easily match. These monsters were not too much of a concern.

However, the heat was. It was truly unbearable; much, much hotter than they had anticipated. Peco did not want to enter at first, staying as far as he could from the entrance of the volcano, but after much persuading, he followed them faithfully in the end.

“Gee, it’s really hot in here, isn’t it?” Momo remarked, fanning herself furiously with her cap.

“Yeah, it is,” Nina said, shaking her head. “It’s so much hotter than I thought it would be…” She turned towards Garr. “How long will it take us to get to the exit?”

“Perhaps two hours, at our current pace,” the Dragon-like man stated.

“That long…?”

“Unfortunately.”

Ryu kept his eyes focused on the ground as he walked, not entirely aware of the conversation. He kept remembering the flashback he had the night before, and each time the memory replayed itself in his mind, a dull pain ached at the side of his head.

“Ryu…?” Nina called, concerned. “Are you… okay?”

“H-huh?” He looked up at her. “Oh, I’m fine, don’t worry…” He shook his head. “But are _you_ okay? You’re sweating terribly…”

“Oh, it’s just really hot, that’s all.” She smiled, trying to reassure him.

He then glanced at the other girl. “Momo’s just as bad…” He reached into his bag to pull out their water container to offer to the girls, but the water had become so hot that it was completely undrinkable.

“Pukyu…” Peco moaned as he slowed to a stop.

“Peco, are you all right?” Nina knelt beside the onion. “Are you hurt?”

Garr knelt down as well, observing Peco’s condition. “Mayhap he tires.”

“I think so too,” Momo agreed. “Onions aren’t able to grow in this kind of temperature, and since Peco’s a walking, bouncing onion…”

The boy approached them, worried. “Why don’t I just transform and fly us all out of here? I can fly outside, over the blocked path around the mountain.”

The winged man nodded. “A plausible idea, though I believe you can carry me not.”

He sighed softly. “Yeah, that’s that problem…”

“However, I will be all right alone.” He stood up, his massive form towering over the others. “We shall meet outside.”

Ryu nodded. “Okay, be careful, Garr.”

“Wait!” Nina cried. “We haven’t agreed to anything yet!”

“That’s right!” Momo joined in.

“Nina, Momo…” The boy sighed again. “There’s no time to argue about this, okay? I’ve to take at least Peco to a cooler place.”

“Oh, right…” The princess shook her head. “Sorry…”

“Don’t be.” He smiled. “I just want all of you to be safe, not in a dangerous place like this.”

With that statement, his mind willed the transformation of his body. In a burst of light and a magical dark sphere, the golden scales of the Trygon gleamed, wings spread in eagerness to fly.

Ryu was glad that there was hardly any trace of anger or violence this time.

Momo beamed. “Thanks, Ryu.”

He gave a low growl in reply, as he flattened himself on the ground so that the girls would be able to climb onto his broad back. Nine climbed up first, with Honey sitting on her shoulder, while Momo picked their onion companion and climbed up behind her. Once they were securely seated on the Dragon’s back, he straightened slowly.

Then, with a farewell growl to Garr, he took off into the air as gently as possible.

“Be careful, Garr!” the princess shouted.

He merely nodded.

And all four of them disappeared through the cavern entrance.

Now alone, Garr did not immediately move, despite knowing he had a long ways more to go. Instead, he stayed where he was silently, as though contemplating.

“He flaunts not his power; his only purpose to protect.” Uncertainty flickered across his eyes. “I wonder… I wonder if…”

He clenched his fists as he reaffirmed his resolve.

“No. I must complete the task bestowed upon me. Regardless of my thoughts…”

 

* * *

 

The sky was a clear blue colour, with white clouds floating lazily in the air, the sun shining merrily down onto the dry ground of the Rhapala region. Smoke rose from the mouth of the volcano, signifying its activity, and a trail of cooled lava ran from its peak to the sea, blocking the stone path in the process.

He had been there for a long time… four hundred years? Five? He had lost count after exactly three hundred and eleven years; his mind was not as sharp as it was before. He had always been waiting there, waiting and waiting for someone who he wasn’t sure would turn up.

But life certainly wasn’t dull.

Once upon a time, the path through the volcano had a traveller passing through every other day. People no longer used it, however, but then he was able to pass the time chatting with the senile – or perhaps actually sane? – old man who moved in decades ago with his pet lava serpents. If it wasn’t that, there were always the mindless brawls of the volcano monsters; these creatures could never pass a day without crying, yelling or fighting each other.

Except, during the most recent eruption, he had been forcefully tossed out of the lava like a person discarding trash, buried within the lava when it cooled.

Life was never dull.

Of course, there were times he wondered if he had wasted his time waiting.

When he was alive, he was once a Protector; a person given the task of protecting the Chosen One from harm as the latter completed his quest. But, as fate would have it, he was born as a Protector in times of peace.

The Destined One, whose very quest was to battle against their millennia-long enemy, would only appear during war.

So there he was, a Protector without the Chosen One to protect.

He spent his living years training, regardless, and protecting the young and the elderly from harm. But there was still that burning feeling, the unfulfilled desire to complete his task as the Protector. Even after he had died, even after his great body had turned into chrysm, he still waited for the Destined One.

Until today, when he could feel _his_ presence. Surely this was the one he had been waiting for, for _his_ aura was distinguishable. Already his very spirit was tingling with partial fulfilment; at least he finally knew his wait hadn’t been wasted.

And there he was; a small boy. With electric blue hair that was the Destined One’s known trait, azure eyes that focused right at him and one hand to reach out gingerly to touch the surface of the chrysm crystal.

He smiled. He was glad, for he knew he would finally be free of the cage that had held him prisoner for centuries.

The boy must have felt his gladness too, for he could feel his surprise.

“ _I have been waiting for you, my lord. It is my destiny as a Protector to aid you in your battle. Though little of my power remained, will you still accept it?”_

Years of yearning filled his heart; yearning to complete his quest, yearning for the sense of satisfaction and fulfilment. Even if the boy could not hear his words, surely he could feel his emotions.

And the Destined One nodded, a smile forming on his lips.

_Yes. You don’t have to be imprisoned here anymore. You’re free._

Joy filled his heart, the heart that had been yearning.

A great burst of light engulfed them as the spirit joined the Chosen One, giving all his remaining power to the latter.

Then, within the blink of an eye, the boy was no more, and in his place was a colossal Dragon. Instead of the elegant, long-necked ones like the Force Dragon, this Dragon form was more oval in shape, like a rock-shelled tortoise with four massive horns spreading upwards at its sides, except the green and yellow “shell” was its scales. While its fangs were sharp, they were not made for biting; the very size of its body was a good enough indicator of strength.

The spirit within him, the Dragon form’s owner, then spoke.

“ _Behemoth; my Dragon form, my lord. Please use it as you will.”_

The Destined One was satisfied. He took on another Dragon form – the Trygon – and waited for his companions to climb onto his back before taking off into the air, continuing their journey to their destination.

The Behemoth’s spirit settled down within him, and found that there were two others as well. One merely smiled and shook his hand amicably, while the other glared at him in hostility.

He smiled.

Already three Protectors had gathered. It would be inevitable that they would one day be at war.

 

* * *

 

The Urkan region was similar to the Rhapala region – consisting mostly of beige rocks and sand – but unlike the latter, this region had even more mountains, with one stone path winding between huge crevasses, and the exit of Mt. Zublo connected to the highest point of this path. In the east, a settlement stood on the distant horizon, seemingly isolated from all civilisation as it sat among all the mountains. Beyond that was a tall temple made of brown stone, which gave a definite ancient look.

And there… there, in Angel Tower, the young boy would finally learn of his brethrens, finally learn the answers to his questions.

However, despite the fact that the settlement (which Garr referred to as Urkan Tapa) was within sighting range, the group spent two days travelling on the mountain path that wound between the crevasses. It was rather frightening having to walk so high up with space just barely enough for all of them to walk side-by-side, but Nina was not afraid at all, for she knew that Ryu would rescue her the moment she fell.

After Garr had rejoined them outside the exit of Mt. Zublo, somehow he seemed even quieter than before. Yes, the others had already known that he was the calm, quiet sort, with a manner of speech differing from theirs, but his silence now became rather unnerving, sending a tensed feeling into the atmosphere and the others a wave of a strange foreboding feeling… it was as though he knew a terrible truth that was kept away from the others.

But they respected him. They did not question him.

Urkan Tapa did not consist of separate houses as the other towns and cities did, but instead had one huge building that seemed as if it was built untidily with giant brown blocks, where each block was a home to one family. However, they were placed in such a way that in order to reach the top level, one would have to use ladders and staircases located in many of the residents’ homes.

The residents of the settlement, dressed in robe-like clothes of a similar design, seemed to know Garr, for they clasped their hands together whenever he neared them. They seemed to be truly religious people, bowing to Garr as though he was a God himself, but he merely walked past them without even a glance at them, leading his companions through a series of rooms, ladders and stairs towards the top of the settlement.

One such room was a sermon hall, with a priest standing atop a high pedestal, his arms spread.

“The Goddess is always with us,” his clear voice reaching out to the villagers kneeling below. “She teaches us that we must fight evil wherever we find it …”

Ryu shivered and turned away, forcing the voice out of his head. He felt rather uncomfortable, as though he was something these people detested…

Further up from the sermon hall, they came into a brightly lit room where there was a statue of a winged man, with an appearance very similar to Garr except for the way his face was shaped – he was massive and muscular, had huge bat-like wings, wore an ancient uniform similar to the one Garr was wearing, and wielded a large halberd with one hand.

“Hey, Garr,” Momo called, stopping in front of it. “This statue looks just like you… is it a statue of your brother or something?”

Their large companion paused, seeming as though hesitating, but then just continued on to another staircase without answering her.

She gazed after him, then shook her head. “Did I… say something wrong?”

“I don’t think so…” Nina answered.

Ryu felt concerned as he stared onto Garr’s back; the winged man seemed rather uncertain about something, as though he had many questions on his mind, as though this place had reminded him of something he wished to forget.

Eventually, they arrived at a large hall, where an old man in grey robes sat meditating on a raised platform lined with a piece of cloth. He sat knowledgeable, like an old sage, but what caught Ryu’s attention were his eyes – they stared forward, glassy and dull… was this person blind?

This seemed to be the person Garr was looking for, for he knelt in front of him with his head bowed in respect.

At first, the old man did not seem to realise that someone entered the room. However, he was the first to speak. “…is that you, Guardian Garr?” His voice was wheezy, but still held a firm determination.

_Guardian…?_ Ryu thought bewilderedly.

“Yes, it is I, Patriarch Sudama…” Garr bowed his head in respect. “I have returned.”

Sudama smiled kindly. “Welcome back, I hope that you have been well?”

He just nodded, quite unable to voice out the questions he had.

“Good, good.” His head turned towards Garr, yet his eyes stared forward, unmoving. “Have you made up your mind to join your comrades?”

“I… suppose so…” There was much hesitation in his voice.

“So it is true, then; there is no more evil in this world. I suppose your intuition was wrong…” The Patriarch shook his head slowly, closing his eyes. “The time has come for you to enter your long sleep now, Guardian Garr.”

His eyes were focused on the floor.

“Go to the tower and pay your respect to our Goddess before the great sleep.” Sudama looked up slowly. “I will tell the watchmen that you are coming.”

“Thank you, Patriarch.”

He smiled again. “Farewell, Guardian Garr. May the Goddess be with you on your journey.”

“…farewell.”

With that, Garr stood up straight and turned, walking straight out of the room without as much as a glance at his companions, as if he was in a hurry to leave. He strode on in this manner all the way to the settlement gates, forcing the others to run in order to catch up to his long strides, but Ryu soon outran him and stopped in front of him, trying to catch his attention.

“Garr…” He shook his head, his eyes pleading. “Please tell us what’s going on.”

The winged man did not reply, averting his eyes.

“Please, Garr,” Nina said, standing beside the boy.

Silently, he walked around them and headed out of the gates, but then he slowed to a stop and glanced over a shoulder at them. “…I shall explain tonight.”

“You mean it?” Momo asked hopefully.

“Yes, that I do.”

With that, Garr continued out of the gates, and Ryu sighed softly as he watched him.

_He’s… hiding something…_

 

* * *

 

As soon as dinner was over that night, everyone gathered around the campfire, their eyes focused on Garr as they waited for his explanation. They had to be patient, though, for he still remained silent for a long time, seemingly hesitating.

“Garr…” Nina called, looking up at the huge figure of her companion. “You can trust us, we’re your friends…”

The winged man shook his head slowly. “No, it is not because I trust you not that I withhold my explanation…”

“Then why don’t you tell us?” Momo asked. “Whatever it is, we can take it.”

“…all right.” The Guardian took a deep breath, then gazed into the fire. “Though our looks differ, I am one of them… I, too, am an Urkan.”

“I see.” Ryu shook his head. “But that person earlier called you a Guardian…”

He nodded. “Yes, I am a Guardian. A Guardian is what Urkan warriors are called, tasked to protect our people from evil and harm.” He looked at each of his companions in turn. “The only Guardian remaining is I, for only I feel evil still exists.”

The princess thought for a moment. “Um, what kind of evil?”

“Aught and all that can and will threaten our very existence.” Then, he straightened. “That is all I will yet tell you… the rest you will come to understand once we reach Angel Tower.” There was certain finality in his voice that told them he would not tell them anymore.

They sighed softly, disappointed with this rather short explanation, but they did not pressure him further. First Momo entered the tent, then Peco and Honey, followed by Nina, but just as Ryu was about to do the same, the Guardian spoke again.

“And… about what you have been told… that you may die…”

Ryu stopped, puzzled and yet afraid, but said nothing as their backs faced each other.

He shook his head. “No… never mind. You will understand once we arrive at Angel Tower…”

“…all right.”

With that, the boy joined the others in the tent, his mind whirling with questions and confusion.

 

* * *

 

That night, Ryu found that was quite unable to sleep. He tossed and turned, often finding himself staring at the dark ceiling of the tent and thinking of Angel Tower.

_This is it… I’ll finally find out about myself…_

He was looking forward to entering Angel Tower, yet part of him dreaded going there… Why was it that he felt as though something bad would happen? Why was it that he felt that he would once again be separated from his friends, just like the time when he was first attacked by Balio and Sunder?

He sighed softly and sat up, deciding to take a walk before attempting to sleep again, but it was only then that he realised that Nina was not at her usual sleeping spot in the tent. He began to panic – did something happen to her?

To his relief, he found her just outside, sitting on medium-sized rock with her eyes focused on Angel Tower that stood some distance away. Her back was towards her so he could not see her expression, but he went to her side, sitting beside her.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked, turning towards her, but he trailed off when he saw that she was crying, with tears sliding down her cheeks. “Nina? What’s wrong…?”

“Oh, Ryu!” she cried, suddenly throwing her arms around him.

He was startled. “N-Nina?”

“I… I’m scared!” she sobbed. “What if something happens to you tomorrow?! What if you die?!!”

“Nina… I…” He put a hand on her shoulder, not quite knowing what to say.

She shook her head quickly. “I don’t want you to die! I don’t want you to leave me all alone!!”

For some reason, he did not feel terribly despaired or afraid, unlike the first time Garr mentioned that he would die. He smiled at her, trying to reassure her. “Nina, I won’t die tomorrow, that’s a promise.”

It took a while for the princess to calm down, but gradually she did, looking up at him as she sniffed. “R-really…?”

“Yes, I promise. I won’t ever leave you alone if I can help it.”

“I… okay…” She tried to smile, wiping her tears. “I trust you, Ryu.”

“I trust you too.” He nodded, still smiling. “You should go and sleep now, you’ll feel better, and you’ll need your strength for when we climb the tower tomorrow.”

She nodded as well and stood up from the rock, slowly walking back to the tent. Before she entered, though, she stopped for a moment, looking over a shoulder at him, smiled slightly and then went inside.

Ryu turned back towards Angel Tower, his own eyes focused on it. He had felt strong earlier, so he was able to reassure his companion… but now? The foreboding feeling had returned, this time stronger than before.

And he had no idea why.

“Lord Ladon… please give me strength…” he unconsciously muttered.

 

* * *

 

As seen from the distance, Angel Tower was built with brown bricks, shaped like a pyramid with three sets of stairs leading to the top, where a large slab of stone with unknown carved characters stood. Garr led them up the nearest staircase, past the Urkan watchmen, but instead of heading to the top, he soon detoured to a ledge about halfway up the stairs and entered a large doorway there.

The interior of the temple, however, was different as the walls and floors were made of green and grey bricks rather than brown ones like the exterior, with strange characters and patterns decorating the walls in a repeated pattern. Torches above them dimly lit the halls, the air was musty, and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust… clearly no one had been in this holy site for a long time.

And they began downwards, towards the lowest floor deep underground.

However, the further Garr led them, the more nervous Ryu grew. Yes, he had yearned for answers – questions as to who he was, why he had woken up without memories, and why he was the only Dragon left. Where had his brethrens gone? Why had they been branded as villains, destructive monsters aiming to destroy the world?

Yet, there was this unexplainable feeling deep in his heart… sorrow? Despair? Foreboding? Yes, that was it. A foreboding feeling. A sense of dread that made him longing to turn and run away from the truth he sought for… but why? He had done nothing wrong, he had only wanted to learn the truth of his past…

_I’m scared, I guess… even after I promised Nina that I wouldn’t die here…_

But he knew that was not it. It was beyond fear… a foreboding feeling.

Something had happened here in the past. Something relating to his ancestors.

And something would happen down here.

Then, abruptly, Garr stopped, causing the other four to bump forcefully into him.

“Whoa!” Momo exclaimed as they disentangled themselves. “What is it, Garr?”

“We have arrived,” was the quiet answer.

Taking a step from behind the winged man for a better look, Ryu peered into the darkness beyond. There was a wide stairway that led to a lower floor, but he could not see beyond the first few steps. However, even as he gazed forward, his heart felt as heavy as a rock.

This was it. The place that was giving him that foreboding feeling… that something bad would happen.

“This is… the place?” he asked uncertainly.

“Yes.” Garr turned slowly, facing the others with a look of calm resolve. A look that somehow sent a chill down Ryu’s spine. “…but pray allow Ryu and I to continue on our own.”

“Why?” Nina immediately protested. “Why can’t we go too?!”

“Nina…” The boy shook his head.

Momo put a hand on the princess’ shoulder. “Nina… I’m sure Garr has his reasons.”

Garr’s eyes narrowed with what seemed like regret. “Forgive me.” Then, he turned to walk down the staircase.

“I’m sorry, Nina…” Ryu said regretfully, but inwardly, he agreed with his larger companion. She would be better off not seeing whatever it is that lay in store for them.

He spun around and was about to take a step downwards when Nina grabbed his arm.

“Ryu! I… I-I…” She trailed off, as if she had no idea what she had wanted to say.

He faced her once more and assured her gently, “Don’t worry, I won’t die here. If something really happens to me that we’re separated… I’ll gradually return to you.” He smiled. “I promise.”

“I… I…” She looked like she was holding back tears.

Gently, he put a hand on her shoulder. “Nina, you told me you wanted to be stronger for me… please be strong, okay?”

She gradually looked up, trying to smile between her tears. “O-okay, I will…”

“That’s good.” Ryu nodded, stepping away. “I promise I’ll return, and I don’t intend to break it.” And, with one final smile, he turned and headed down the staircase.

“Good luck!” Momo said cheerfully after him. “We’ll be waiting here!”

Nina sank to her knees, her tearful eyes gazing at his back as he disappeared into the darkness, despair taking over her heart.

She felt as though she had just seen his last smile.

 

* * *

 

At the bottom of this particularly long staircase was an enormous room, with a huge green pyramid-like monument right in the centre, and at each of its four sides was a slab of stone. Ryu shivered – for some reason this place made him feel terrified, as though there was a fearful power here…

“Cast your eyes upon these stone tablets,” Garr instructed, in a voice that was devoid of emotion.

Ryu realised that something was amiss with the Guardian, but he did not argue and obeyed. The four slabs actually had inscriptions carved into them, and the first three he read said:

 

_Guardian Gaist_

_234_

_Guardian Gaw_

_198_

_Guardian Gatz_

_201_

 

He shivered again as he headed towards the last slab. “T-these are the names of your comrades, aren’t they?”

Garr did not answer.

The boy then stopped in front of the fourth and final stone slab, and leaned over closely as he read the name on it.

 

_Guardian Garr_

_299_

 

He turned nervously to face his large companion. “G-Garr?”

“Your eyes deceive you not,” the Dragon-like man said quietly. “These are but the names of us Guardians.”

The boy gazed at him, feeling more and more nervous… he wished he could run away, leaving all this behind him… but he had to hear the truth. The truth he had sought for so long…

But nothing would have prepared him for what he would hear next.

Garr turned away. “…us Dragon slayers.”

Ryu froze.

“The number below my name…” he continued, gesturing towards the stone slabs. “…a great many Dragons whose lives taken by my blade, in the great war.”

  
He staggered back, away from him and the stone slab, his eyes wide with shock.

_Dragon… slayers…?!_

He began to tremble.

_The reason I’m going to die… is because he’s going to kill me…_

His heel touched the edge of the floor and he spun around in reflex. Before him, wisps floated upward from the darkness, illuminating the room slightly…

…and what he saw made him collapse weakly to his knees.

Dragon skeletons.

Hundreds of them.

He stared at them, his eyes wide, his heart hoping desperately that it was only a dream.

_M-my family… no… t-this can’t be…_

The wisps from the skeletons floated all over the room, and Garr ignored them as he continued speaking, “Ryu, allow me to tell you the answer you sought. What happened to the Brood…”

“No!!” Ryu cried, slamming his hands over his ears as images of flames and blood tore across his mind, sharp pain surging through his head. “I don’t want to hear it!!”

“Five hundred years ago,” he went on, a blank expression on his face as he stepped away from the boy. “The savage and malevolent Brood sought control of the world. The fierce war continued for a hundred years…”

More flashes of images of death.

“No!!” Ryu was doubled over now, his eyes shut tightly to endure the pain. “It’s wrong!!”

“The Dragonkin were strong… powerful… but our mighty Goddess bestowed upon us her holy power, thus turning us into her Guardians. Victory is but ours to claim.” Garr took a deep breath. “Many a year had passed since the Brood were defeated… and their bones lay here, forgotten by all but us Urkans.”

By now, the boy no longer had the strength to even shout. “S-stop…!”

He spun around, his hand gripping the pole of his halberd tightly, his eyes hard. “Ryu… you are the last of the Dragonkin. Once your breath leaves you…” Abruptly, he raised his weapon high above his head, getting into his battle stance. “…I will see my task completed!”

“N-no… Garr…!”

Remorse flashed across Garr’s eyes, but he recomposed himself as he cried, “Prepare yourself!”

He charged forward, his great blade ready to strike him, but Ryu, who was still doubled over in pain, did not move. The halberd stabbed towards him, ready to slice through his heart… but the moment it was only inches from him, suddenly the wisps that were floating around gathered in front of him, and the spirits of the Protectors – the Force Dragon, the Trygon and the Behemoth – resonated furiously within him.

A strong barrier of light formed like a physical shield before him, forcing the weapon back.

“W-what manner of sorcery is this?!” Garr exclaimed.

The wisps separated again, circling around Ryu. The pain in his head already subsided, he slowly stood up again, albeit a little shakily, with despair showing plainly on his face.

“Garr! Don’t!” He shook his head. “I don’t want to fight you!!”

“Transform!” the winged man commanded, a little too harshly, with a hint of despair in his voice. “Will you not defend yourself?!”

“You know why I won’t turn into a Dragon, Garr! I won’t ever use it other than to protect!!”

“It pains me to hurt a defenceless opponent, Ryu, especially one I have learned to trust… however!” He twirled his spear once. “I live for but one purpose; to destroy all evil known as the Brood!!” Once more he rushed forward with a loud battle cry, his halberd coated with great crimson flames.

Ryu, his confused mind unable to choose between protecting himself by hurting and letting himself be killed, stayed rooted on the spot as he stared wide-eyed at the burning blade.

Fear then struck his heart, and his instincts overwhelmed his mind.

In one swift movement, he pulled out his sword and slashed once.

There was a flash of light from him as a great roar that echoed through the room. Then a powerful force, formed in the shape of a Dragon by the wisps, slammed into Garr, sending his weapon spinning across the ground several feet away. It was strong, much stronger than he had fathomed, and it forced him back against the stone tablet that had his name.

“Ugh…” Garr groaned, shaking his head. “Though fully unleashed not, my power compares not to yours…” He gazed up at the dark ceiling of the room. “It is as I suspect… we were, from the beginning, far outmatched by the true power of the Brood… but… why…?” He turned his eyes on Ryu again, golden eyes that were filled with desperation. “Why did the Dragons resign to death by our blades…?”

The boy, gasping for breath, did not answer as he stared in horror at what he had done.

“N-no… I…” His sword fell to the floor with a loud clang. “I-I don’t want to…”

“What?” Garr gazed upon him in disbelief. “Why will you take not my life?”

“I don’t want to!!” Ryu shook his head quickly, despairingly. “I know in reality you don’t want to do this; you’re only doing it because your duty forces you to!” He took a step forward. “You’re my friend! Someone I could and have trusted! If you wanted to kill me, you would’ve already done it from the start instead of helping me!!”

“Ryu…” Shaking his head, his voice grew hard. “No, you are far mistaken. If you restrain your weapon now, then I shall not! I will claim your life!!”

“I don’t care!! I… I…!” Tears formed in his eyes. “I don’t want to kill anyone! Especially not someone I trust!!”

Then, the wisps that had been circling around Ryu took on a larger shape that both the boy and the Guardian knew too well.

Dragons.

Spirit of the dead Dragons, their transparent forms floating above Ryu.

Garr gasped, his eyes wide. “Spirits… of the Brood…”

They growled.

“ _Why will you not kill him, Lord Ryu?!”_ a loud booming voice came from one of the spirits.

“ _He is our hated enemy!!”_ another cried.

“ _Avenge your brethrens, Lord Ryu!!”_ a third yelled.

“No!” the boy shouted, covering his ears. He shook his head, shutting his eyes tightly. “I don’t want to kill him!!”

“ _He’s not your enemy, Ryu!”_ Ladon’s voice rang across the room. _“Don’t listen to them!”_

The Protectors resonated in agreement.

The dead Dragons, however, already had their minds set on their revenge on the Guardian. All of them began shouting at once, all demanding for Garr’s death.

“ _Death to all our enemies!!”_

“ _Avenge us, Lord Ryu!!”_

“ _He will kill you if you do not do it now!!”_

“ _KILL HIM!!”_

“ _Ryu! No!!”_ Ladon shouted again.

“ _Kill him! Kill him!!”_ all the spirits chanted together, their voice angry. _“KILL HIM!! NOW!!!”_

It was too much for Ryu’s young mind to take.

He screamed loudly, his hands grabbing his head in pain, and shone a dazzling light that blinded everyone. A bright pillar of light then shot upward into the air, forcing the spirits back, but when the light dimmed enough to others to see, the boy was hovering in mid-air, encased in a sphere of light.

His eyes, glassy and expressionless, turned golden. His hair, dancing in the magical wind, shone a glorious golden colour.

He disappeared in a flash of light that was accompanied with a great roar that shook the tower.

And in his place was a truly magnificent Dragon.

An elegant Dragon, a graceful Dragon. Its serpentine neck and tail arched like a snake, its horns glowed like a golden crimson jewel. Its muscular body shone its own brilliant golden light, its legs made for speed on land and its wings for air. Its wings, a golden limb tipped with a great golden crimson claw, attached to a pair of feathered wings made entirely of shining light.

And its blue jewel-like eyes – Ryu’s blue eyes – stared forward blankly.

Garr gazed at it in shock and disbelief, his mouth open, for he had only heard of this great Dragon in stories told by his old comrades who had long died.

“Kaiser… Dragon…”

The Dragon was calm, hovering in the air as though he was leisurely passing time.

Then, instantly, rage burned in his eyes, and he roared ferociously skyward.

Now uncontrollable, the Kaiser Dragon soared upwards, crashing into the ceiling of the room as he disappeared in another flash of light. The ground rumbled as the ceiling collapsed, gigantic boulders came crashing down onto the floor.

The Guardian, already weakened, was instantly unconscious when a slab of stone broke on his head.

And Nina, who came running down after hearing a loud roar, was just in time to see the glowing form of the Kaiser Dragon disappearing into the darkness above.

“No! Ryu!!” she cried into the collapsing ceiling. “Ryu!! You promised you wouldn’t leave me alone!!” She sobbed, sinking to her knees, and then screamed loudly. “RYUUUUUU!!!!!”

However, the only reply she received was the distant roar of a Dragon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Darn, by the time I reached this chapter, Garr’s English is getting more and more modern, rather than partial Elizabethan as I originally intended… I underestimated the language. o_o
> 
> And thanks to Ryu bringing the girls out of the volcano and around it instead of through it, we won’t see the battle against the crazy old man and the two serpents at the end of Mt. Zublo. Garr can handle them alone, anyway. xP


	17. Interlude

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Interlude**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

_The story of a Dragon seeking for family and friends._

 

The distant loud roar echoed loudly in the halls of the tower, shaking it even more.

 

_The story of a princess living in fear of loneliness._

 

“Ryu! Where’s Ryu?!” Nina cried, almost screaming. “Where’s Ryu?!!”

 

_The story of a Guardian questioning the very reason for his existence._

 

Garr did not reply as he quickly led the way out of the tower, his golden eyes dull with remorse.

 

_And of their companions who are inevitably involved in this conflict._

 

“I hate to say this, Nina, but we’ll have to trust Garr for now!!” Momo half-shouted, pulling the princess by the hand.

“Pukyu!” Peco agreed as he bounced along the halls beside them, with Honey clinging tightly onto his head.

 

_Little did they know that, even now, their paths have already been tightly intertwined together, like bonds of trust that can never be broken._

 

“No!! RYUUU!!!!” Nina screamed, sobbing loudly.

 

_The path to the future carved by Destiny has been set in stone._

 

* * *

 

_He ran across the darkness, his erratic breathing loud in the great abyss devoid of light. His sheath stayed empty, its weapon forgotten. His legs felt weak, as though his knees were going to buckle at any moment, but he still continued to run as hard as he could, without a destination in mind, without knowing if he would ever break free of this great darkness._

_He wanted only to escape. To escape from the terrible truth that plagued his mind._

_Yet, as he ran, he did not know where to run to. Where to turn to._

_Everywhere he turned, he could see the wisps circling before him. Pursuing him._

_No matter how hard he sprinted, the wisps always caught up to him, rushing past him in a great streak of light._

_No matter how hard he covered his ears, the voices kept reaching out for his fragile mind, relentless in their chase._

“ _Why? Why do you run?” a male voice asked, a voice he had once heard in a dream._

_The silhouette of a young man formed before him, filling his heart with dread._

_It was not his master. Not Lord Ladon._

_But someone else… someone he did not want to see._

“ _N-no! Leave me alone!!” he yelled as he skidded to a stop. He spun around and sped down a new direction instead._

_Another streak of light overtook him and stopped in front of him, forcing him to skid to a stop once more. It separated into wisps, then gathered to transform into a young man with flowing violet hair… whose silhouette he had seen earlier. The man turned towards him, an unreadable expression on his face._

“ _We’re not like them…” the voice persuaded him further, clear and crisp from the lips of the young man. “We’re not supposed to be with them…”_

“ _G-go away!!” he cried in increased fear, dashing in yet another direction._

“ _You have to face the truth, Ryu!” the man cried as he ran. “You have to embrace the blood that flows in your veins!!”_

_Even as he ran, the voice repeated in his mind over and over. Repeatedly, never allowing him a moment of peace._

_And his form began to change_

_Gleaming green scales appeared all over his body, horns sprouted from his head. Wings spread from his back, a tail swished behind him, and claws appeared on his hands and feet. His cerulean blue eyes turned golden._

_The Dragon whelp continued running, fleeing into the great darkness within._

 

* * *

 

  _The cogs of Time continue to turn._

 

The stone statue of a Dragon growled as it turned towards the night sky, anger glinting in its glowing eyes.

 

_Slowly, steadily, like a traveller focused on his destination._

 

“ _So… it’s your doing, Myria…”_ Ladon’s voice came from the statue, low and dangerous. _“I won’t ever forgive you…”_

 

_But, the journey on the path of Destiny has now come to a standstill._

 

The only thing that answered him was a playful giggle that rang through the dark starry sky.

 

_And it will be a long time before it will continue once again._

_The cogs of Time continue to turn._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such as short chapter, this is just the interlude after all… I feel that the next chapter starts too abruptly, so I had this chapter to “lead on” to the next. At least now I feel better about it, despite the fact that it’s only almost two and a third pages long. :D
> 
> I was having some difficulty naming this piece for a while… and I still don’t know whether to leave it as “interlude” and rename my “prologue” / “epilogue” as “prelude” and “postlude”, or leave them as “prologue” / “epilogue” and get another name for this chapter. I prefer the sound of “epilogue” to “postlude”, which is why you still see my first chapter as “prologue” and not “prelude” at the beginning. Also, I didn’t name this chapter “intermission” because according to Dictionary (dot) com, it’s a period of rest or pause, whereas “interlude” is a short dramatic piece, formerly introduced between the parts. So… here, you see my dilemma. o_o


	18. Fifteen: A True Dragon

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Fifteen: A True Dragon**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

The City of Winds, the capital of a country whose people once had wings. A city built on a hill with the castle at the very top, overlooking the city buildings, and great windmills stood high above the roofs, spinning and spinning from the power of the wind. A lively place filled with the smell of baking bread.

Garr strode along the busy stone streets, his massive wings folded neatly behind him, his halberd held beside him. Even as he climbed stairways towards the majestic castle, he noticed that this place was just as he remembered. Wyndia had not changed at all.

But he… he had changed.

In all of his near-five-hundred years of service, he had never once questioned his duty for the Goddess. Yes, he had his doubts, but he had chosen to trust the Goddess’ wisdom with all of his faith.

But now? A constant whirlwind of questions tormented his mind, his once-strong faith wavering with each question.

Why? Why did the Brood allowed themselves to be killed without proving they were innocent? Why did they not unleash their powers to defend themselves? Why did the Goddess deem them as monsters, as evil and threat to the world?

But one question stood above all others – was fulfilling his duty the right thing to do? Had he spent all of his life living a sin?

He shook his head.

…no, this was not the time to ponder upon these questions.

He stopped when he arrived at the great double gates of Castle Wyndia, just as two guards, both wielding spears, approached him.

For the time being, he had a new purpose. He would have to fulfil it before he could see his questions answered.

“State your purpose for entering Castle Wyndia,” one of the guards asked in a clear voice.

“I have arrived in response to the royal announcement of five years,” Garr replied calmly.

“And that is?”

He paused, as though hesitating. “…if the king does yet require the service of a Dragon slayer.”

 

_It was darkness around once again…_

 

He was immediately led into the audience hall, where the King sat at the thrones. Even as he bowed before the royal ruler, with one arm placed across his waist, he was aware that the princess’ seat was empty, indicating that she was not in the castle at the moment. He was glad; he felt that he would not be able to answer her questions…

“Garr, from Urkan Tapa, has arrived for an audience!” a guard called out loudly from the entrance of the audience hall, firmly and purposely.

 

… _the great darkness that had tainted the soul._

 

“You…” The king shook his head as his eyes gleamed with recognition. “You came here for a passport a long time ago, didn’t you?”

“That I did.” Garr bowed once again. “This time I came not as a traveller, but rather a Dragon slayer.”

 

_The creature lay still in the deep abyss, bidding its time, but what it was waiting for, it knew not._

 

Many of the guards gasped, and the king himself nearly fell off his throne in surprise. “Is that true?!”

The Guardian nodded. “Forgive me for not coming forth sooner, for I have been away.”

That was a lie.

 

_Yet, it knew that something would happen soon._

 

“I see, that is truly good news.” The king nodded, seeming calmer now. “As you know, a Dragon appeared in Dauna Mine far west from here about five years ago, but however…” He sighed softly. “Even after we had sent many soldiers who ended up being killed, the Dauna authorities have denied our help…”

Garr held his chin in his hand. “I see.”

“But Dauna Mine is important to us, not just in Dauna itself.” He shook his head slowly. “The chrysm ores are transported to all cities, even to us in Wyndia, and especially since we use chrysm energy in almost everything now…”

He nodded. “I will remove the Dragon from the mine.”

 

_And it waited in anticipation._

 

“Wonderful!” the ruler cried. “We will provide you with travel expenses, and please head on to the Dauna region when you’re ready!”

The Guardian bowed. “Yes, Your Highness.”

 

_The time has come for the events to unfold once again, along the path Destiny have carved._

 

* * *

 

The Dragon whelp crossed a wooden platform warily, its green scales easily seen in the dim light of the glowing chrysm ores on the wall. Young though it was, it knew there was something out there beyond the darkness of the mines, and it knew it was the target.

It paused, listening for any audible sound.

For a few seconds, everything was still. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound.

Then, suddenly, something massive charged out of the darkness. A great halberd gleamed in the light, and the Dragon yelped in surprise.

Garr, his mind focused on his purpose, prepared to strike.

The whelp backed away, but there was no fear in its stance. It moved resolutely back, putting some distance between it and its pursuer, and unleashed a wave of crimson waves towards him, powerful enough to even melt a chrysm ore.

But the Guardian remained unfazed. He turned sideways, using his wing as a shield, his hide immune to fire of any sort.

It then knew that this was not an ordinary opponent, and its little heart was rapidly filled with fear. It turned heel and fled in the opposite direction, in hopes of shaking off this pursuer.

“Tch!” Garr spun around and sped down another path.

The creature continued to run and run, taking refuge in the darker area of the cave. When it could no longer hear any footsteps behind it, it began to feel secure in the darkness of the cave and slowed to a stop, looking over its shoulder.

Had its opponent given up? Was it safe now?

Yes, it seemed like it.

No longer tensed, it stood there to rest for a moment, its golden eyes shut.

It was then when he suddenly struck from behind.

The Dragon yelped and leaped back quickly, instinctively sending another wave of fire, but its attempt was futile. Garr, his wing protecting his torso against the flames, raised his weapon high above his head and swung it, striking the side of the whelp’s head with the blunt side of his blade.

And, with a high yelp of pain, it collapsed onto the ground.

The winged man, satisfied with the result, slowly approached the still creature, his expression unreadable. The blade gleamed in his hand.

However, he made no move to deal the finishing blow. Instead, he seemed to be waiting for something to happen, as he watched…

Then, a familiar event took place.

The Dragon’s body began to glow. Dimly at first, then so dazzlingly that it forced Garr to shield his eyes with one arm. At that moment, it began to take on a new shape.

The green scales faded away, revealing slightly tanned skin underneath. The wings disappeared into the back and the tail into the hip, its claws turning into hands and feet.

It was a young man, around eighteen years of age, lying sprawled on the round surface of the mines. His average built yet slightly muscular body was naked, without a single strip of clothing on him. His eyes were closed, looking as though he was asleep.

He was not a young man Garr had seen before, but the short, messy azure hair told him who it was at once.

“…Ryu?” he called hopefully, stepping closed. “Do you recognise me not?”

There was no reply from the young man – the blow he had received from the halberd as a Dragon seemed to have completely knocked him out.

Garr closed his eyes, momentarily filled with guilt. It was something that had to be done, to bring him out of the madness that had consumed him as a Dragon.

Still, he was relieved. A small smile formed on his face, knowing that his ten long years of searching had come to an end.

Placing his weapon on the ground, he knelt beside the young man and proceeded to carry him. Not outside – the miners would be suspicious if he brought a naked man out of the mines – but at least somewhere more comfortable where he could rest.

He did not worry about when the young man would wake up, however… he had found him, and that was enough. He would wait as long as it would take.

 

* * *

 

Darkness. That was all he could see.

Silence. That was all he could hear.

Darkness and silence. Together, they frightened him.

He had to escape from them.

His eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly, ready to leap to his feet… but the moment he straightened, pain shot through his head, making him cry out unintentionally.

It was only then when he was aware of the terrible headache he had.

“Ah, you have awakened.”

That voice… familiar. Where had he heard it?

He looked up slowly, his eyes narrowed in a strenuous attempt to focus his eyes. At first he could see nothing but darkness, which struck fear into his heart, but soon his eyes adjusted.

The first thing he saw was a sheet covering the lower half of his body, and his hands held before his eyes.

His… hands? These were his…? They seemed bigger than he remembered.

“Are you all right?” the voice asked hesitantly from his left.

He turned sharply, having momentarily forgotten about the voice. It belonged to a Dragon-like man, a purple and red oriental uniform over his brown hide, his massive wings folded behind him. His golden eyes were filled with concern.

This man… looked familiar. What was his name again…?

“You…” he began and was stunned at his own voice.

It was a man’s voice, deeper than what he remembered, yet spoken with the uncertainty of a child.

It was not his voice.

“What is wrong, Ryu?” the man asked.

“Ryu…?” It took a moment to register in his mind. “Oh… that’s my name…”

He shook his head, hoping to clear the haze that shrouded every inch of his mind.

The winged man’s eyes narrowed in concern. “Do you remember not? The events that transpired before you were…” He trailed off, a pained expression on his face.

Ryu shut his eyes and thought hard. This man… he knew him. Of course, he had travelled with him for a while. What was his name again? The name was at the back of his mind, and yet…

“…that’s right…” He looked up slowly, his blue eyes gazing at the winged man. “You’re Garr… aren’t you?”

Garr smiled slightly, yet there were still traces of remorse in his eyes. “I am glad, Ryu. It worried me when you recognised me not… I feared the blow I delivered dealt more than unconsciousness.”

He smiled as well, glad that there was at least something he had remembered. Yet, his mind was still shrouded with a concealing haze, and he did not quite remember everything yet. He felt disoriented, as though all of this was a dream, as though he was watching the scene from the sidelines.

Then, everything came rushing back into his mind.

He was a Dragon. The last of the Brood.

Garr, being a Guardian, was tasked with annihilating him.

And Ryu had seen the guilt and remorse that was tormenting his heart.

Yet, the spirits of his brethrens, filled with anger and vengeance, pressured him to take the life of his enemy. The very ones he had been searching for all this while.

To honour his family’s wishes, or to trust his own heart?

It was this deadlock of decisions that ultimately collapsed his mind.

He shut his eyes, trembling.

_Was… was my choice right…? Was I wrong not to kill Garr…?_

“ _Do you think it was Garr’s fault?”_ Ladon’s voice whispered into his ear. _“Even though he’s taken many lives?”_

_No… he didn’t want to do it, even though what he did was bad… I know that much. But the spirits…_

“ _Although it was they who chose death, their spirits lived on, unable to accept their deaths. Locked in the temple for centuries, their emotions gradually turned to anger and vengeance and grew over time… it’s not easy for them to accept that you’re friends with one of their former enemies. More importantly…”_

Ryu could almost see the silhouette of a man kneeling down before him.

“ _Do you think Garr deserves to live?”_

… _yes, without a doubt._

Ladon chuckled. _“Then that’s good enough.”_

Ryu looked up uncertainly, as the silhouette patted his head reassuringly, like a father would his son.

“ _You’re a good boy, Ryu. Don’t worry about it for now, just focus on getting better, all right?”_

_T-thank you, Lord Ladon… but who…?_

He laughed heartily, as though he had heard a joke. _“And don’t go on worrying about who I am either! Geez, you really never change, do you, Ryu?”_

And with that, the silhouette turned and disappeared, his laugh echoing in the darkness.

It left Ryu curious, wanting to know who this Ladon was.

But his feelings were now resolved, his mind no longer utterly confused. He was right in thinking Garr had a chance to live, that it was no one’s fault, and that he did well not to hurt the Guardian.

The fault lay with the Goddess. It was the war – the massacre – had caused his brethrens to live in a state of utmost and anger as spirits for centuries.

Ryu’s eyes opened slowly, reaffirming his resolve.

He had to get out of here, and get to the bottom of this.

“Garr.” He gazed at this companion, his eyes determined. “How long as it been since I… since Angel Tower?”

The Guardian seemed surprised at this sudden question, after watching Ryu wrestle with his feelings in silence.

“It has been but ten years…” He paused, closing his eyes. “Good lord, has it already been ten years since then…?”

“Time… really flies…” Ryu gazed at his hand, his unfamiliar hand that had grown larger, then at Garr. “Buf if you’re here… have you been searching for me all these years…?”

“Yes…” Remorse dulled his golden eyes. “I had visited the far corners of the continent in search of you for the five years, knowing not where you had disappeared to. But once I had heard tales of a Dragon in Dauna Mine… I…” He hesitated for a moment, then his voice quivered. “…I… could face not the truth… and hid away like a coward for another five years… until now…”

“Garr…”

Garr knelt before him, with a pained expression on his face, his eyes pleading. “Can you… forgive me? Can you forgive me for abandoning you to the clutches of madness, for not coming to you sooner…?”

Ryu nodded, a smile on his face. “Of course, Garr. It was never your fault.”

“Thank you… thank you, Ryu.” He lowered his head in a humble manner, no longer looking as troubled, yet there were still guilt showing in his eyes. “If… if you have wished to take my life, I stand not against your power… and you have the right to do so… yet…” He slowly looked up. “Yet you withheld your power… even though I sought to remove you… just like your brethrens four hundred years ago…”

He shook his head. “I never wanted to kill you, Garr, not once…”

The winged man raised his head, focusing his eyes on the chrysm ores on the wall. “If the Dragonkin had countered… the chrysm on the wall would have been us instead…” He clenched his fists tightly. “Why? Why did they let us kill them?” Suddenly he raised his voice, filled with frustration. “Why did the Goddess have us kill the innocent?!!”

“Garr… I…” Ryu closed his eyes. “I don’t know the answer to that…” _But… why do I feel that I do know…?_

He took a deep breath, calming himself down. “Ryu, mayhap I have not the right to say this…” He faced him once more. “I wish to know the truth… the truth behind the war. That is why I ask you…” His eyes pleading, his voice shook once again. “I ask you to let me live until then…”

“Of course, Garr…” The young man nodded. “I don’t want to kill you. We’ll find the truth together.”

Garr bowed towards him, grateful. “Thank you… thank you, Ryu.”

Ryu nodded. “Let’s get out of here first.” He was still tired, wanting to sleep more than anything, but somehow, this place made him feel uncomfortable… he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

“All right.” Back to his usual composed self, Garr stood up and placed a medium-sized sack next to him. “I bought these a while ago, ready to hand it to you should I find you… I shall be waiting for you ahead.”

“Thanks.”

With that, the Guardian headed along the cavern path, leaving him alone to change.

For a long time, Ryu stared at his hands, quite unable to believe that so much time had passed. An instant ago he was still a child, travelling along with Nina and the others… but now, he was already an adult, a young man, and he could not recall anything that he had done in the last ten years…

… _maybe I should just focus on getting out of here first…_

Ryu pulled the sheet away from him and stood up.

And then fell over onto the ground with a crash.

“Ow…” He sat up again, rubbing his sore head. “Darn, it’s going to take a while to get used to this body…”

 

* * *

 

It took Ryu a long time to dress himself, since he was not used to having such long limbs and that he still felt rather disoriented, but he completed the task in the end.

Now, he wore a red shirt and green pants, complete with a black belt, brown boots and brown fingerless gloves. Over his shirt, he wore a silver breastplate, partially covered by a long sleeveless white coat, and around his neck he had a red scarf. Along with his clothes, Garr had provided him with a long sword for protection, sheathed in a brown case.

It seemed he would need to get used to this new weapon, as well.

He walked slowly and uncertainly towards where his companion had headed towards, carefully stepping with his feet as he withstood the heavy weight of his armour. Gradually he picked up the pace, getting more familiar with his body, and when he approached Garr, he was already walking at a normal pace.

Together, both of them walked along the quiet dark paths of Dauna Mine, which Ryu found familiar. After a few moments of pondering, he remembered why.

“I’ve been here before…” he muttered. “I’ve been here all those years ago before I woke up in Rei and Teepo’s cabin…”

“This was your home, was it not?” Garr asked.

“No, not exactly. This cave was a graveyard for the Dragons during the war–” Abruptly he stopped. “Wait… how did I know that?”

The Guardian said nothing as he pushed a button on a panel, watching the elevator coming down from above them.

Rui shut his eyes, his head whirling with confusion. “I don’t know why I came back here either… maybe something called out to me…”

As both of them stepped into the elevator, the machine gave a short hiss as it carried its passengers to the upper level. However, they had failed to notice that a shadow floated just where they stood earlier, a low sinister voice whispering.

“ _That is right, my lord… I called out to you…”_

The floor that they had arrived at was much brighter, as the lamps there were still working, but that didn’t stop Ryu from tripping over tools due to his unsteadiness. Thankfully, the Guardian didn’t comment on it, saving him the embarrassment.

However, Garr asked a question that he did not quite know how to answer.

“If I may ask… do you remember what had transpired in the past ten years?”

“I really don’t.” Ryu sighed. “I don’t remember anything at all after Angel Tower… except…” Trailing off, he shivered when memories of flames and cries of pain flashed across his mind.

“…I see… perhaps your ordeal had but caused you madness…”

“…ack!” That very moment, the young man stumbled over several pickaxes and landed flat on his face. “Ow… darn it.” He slowly stood up again, smiling sheepishly. “I guess I still feel like a small boy with short arms and legs.

“Perhaps you would require me to carry you?” Garr offered with a twinkle in his eye.

He reddened. “H-hey, I’m not that helpless!”

He chuckled. “I withdraw my offer not.”

“Aw, come on…”

It was clear that they had both put Angel Tower behind them. There was no tension between them, as though they were back in the past where they travelled together.

Although the mine had only been abandoned for five years, already zombie-like monsters infested this level. Despite being a powerful Dragon in human form, Ryu was still disoriented from his years of being consumed by madness and this caused him to be less than efficient in battle, for he often missed and stumbled when he struck… painfully reminded of the times when Rei had first taught him how to wield a sword and Teepo had jeered at his blind slashing.

Gradually, however, he regained his battle intuition. Garr stepped in to help each time he fumbled, protecting his back when he weren’t looking, and soon he was able to protect himself without his companion’s help. Even if he hadn’t regained all of his swordsmanship he had in the past, he was still quite a formidable foe.

“Say, Garr, I’ve been wondering…” Ryu spoke after a few minutes. “Where are Nina and the others? Did they come with you?”

The Guardian shook his head. “No, unfortunately not. They were adamant in joining the search, but I sent them home for fear of finding you not… especially Nina, whose duties required her to be home.”

“I see, you did the right thing…” But deep down, he felt disappointed. He had wanted to meet at least Nina and tell her that he was sorry…

“But worry not.” He smiled slightly. “They still believe you are alive, and I am sure they will be glad to see you again.”

The young man smiled as well. “Yeah, I hope so.”

Garr gazed in front of them, at the direction they were heading in. “This is the entrance from whence I came. Only a short distance lies between us and the surface.”

Ryu placed a hand over his face, resting his tired eyes for a moment, then nodded. “Let’s get out of here.”

Before they could even take a step, however, a sinister wind blew around them. A chill went down Ryu’s spine, and a furious, haunting voice echoed in the passage.

“ _Halt, Guardian!!”_

“What?” Garr said as both of them turned immediately, seeking for the source of the voice.

Then, it grew softer, spoken with respect. _“…Lord Ryu…”_

“How do you know my name?” Ryu asked, his eyes searching. “Who are you?”

The voice rose as it ignored his questions, filled with anger and hatred. _“Lord Ryu, why do you let him live?! Why do you let our enemy live?!!”_

Upon hearing the phrase ‘ _our enemy’_ , Garr knew immediately who the voice belonged to. “…a Dragon…”

Suddenly, a loud noise rang across the cavern and they recoiled back instinctively. Then, the cavern began to rumble, and they stared at the ground before them in horror.

For a huge pool of blood had appeared.

“ _Can you not hear it, Guardian?!”_ the haunting voice shouted. _“Can you not hear our spilt blood crying out for vengeance?!!”_

“I…” the winged man trailed off, not quite knowing how to reply.

A gigantic form rose from within the pool of blood, growling. Ryu could only stare in horror as it loomed over him, the blood dripping off its body and revealing its features.

It was the skeleton of a Dragon, with pieces of rotting flesh stuck here and there.

As compared to the Force Dragon, this skeleton had a larger head and a shorter neck, and it stood on all four legs that had gleaming sharp claws. Its bony tail swished about behind it, and a huge flat bone, which was all that was left of its wing, spread out from each of the elbows of its front legs. At its throat, a green orb of light shone.

“ _Guardian, it has been… how long? Four hundred years? Five?”_ the haunting voice came from the Dragon zombie. _“You who tried to exterminate us! Where do you intend to take Lord Ryu?!!”_

“I…” Garr shook his head, his voice filled with remorse. “I am taking him to meet our Goddess…”

“H-huh?” Ryu faced him, surprised.

“ _Why?!”_ the Dragon zombie spat. _“To make but a sacrificial offering of the last Dragon?!!”_

Ryu froze.

“No, to learn the truth…” the winged man replied, a pained expression on his face. “To learn if the war we have fought… if it was the right thing to do…”

“ _LIES!!”_ the skeleton roared loudly, shaking the caverns. _“Kill him, Lord Ryu! Avenge our people’s memories! They destroyed us!! The Guardians KILLED US ALL!!”_

Ryu did not reply for a moment, as he gazed calmly at the horrifying form of the Dragon zombie. “…no, I won’t kill him.”

“ _No?! Do you despise him not?! Do you hate him not?!!”_

He was about to say ‘no’, but he stopped when a soft female voice, familiar to his ears, spoke.

“ _No, you must not hate.”_

Once again, the Dragon zombie gave a loud roar to the ceiling. _“SILENCE!! You have no right, reviled one!!”_ Then, it faced Ryu again. _“Lord Ryu, you disgust me; the Guardian has clearly poisoned your mind!”_ It snarled. _“You shall die along with him in this forsaken place!!”_

With another roar that signified the start of the battle, the Dragon zombie charged, lashing out with bloody claws, but both Ryu and Garr jumped out of the way in time. They immediately countered with their weapons, slashing at its claws, but the blades merely recoiled from the bones without causing any damage.

“ _We have served you well for many years, Lord Ryu!!”_ their enemy cried, stomping powerfully on the ground and causing rocks to fall from the ceiling and rain on them. _“And you repay us in this manner?! By joining forces with our hated enemy?!!”_

“…no, he’s not our enemy. It’s not his fault, and neither is it yours.” The young man stood straight, sheathed his sword, brought his hands together in front of him, and a dazzling glowing sphere formed between them. “Fate is against us, that’s all!!”

With that, he swung his hand forward, unleashing the spell he was casting, but to Garr’s surprise, it was not an attack spell. Instead, it was a Restore spell, a healing spell that was much stronger than both Heal and Rejuvenate. Bright sparkles surrounded the Dragon zombie, forcing it to roar in pain.

Once again he prepared a Restore spell, and he shouted to his companion, “Garr! Hit him with your flame!!”

A mere grunt answered him and the Guardian complied, rushing forward with his blade burning with crimson flames.

“Restore!” Ryu yelled as he swung his arm again, and the monster roared in pain.

Then, with his great strength, Garr slammed the burning blade into its throat, stabbing at the green orb.

Instantly the monstrosity of a Dragon writhed in pain, its great roar shaking the caverns as the two of them jumped back, and started to shine an eerie green light.

“ _Die! Die!! DIE!!!”_ it screamed, unleashing a wave of pure black smog towards them.

Both Ryu and Garr drew back, covering their face with their arms, and braced themselves.

Suddenly, in a flash of light, a woman appeared right in front of its two targets, her long blue hair and sky blue robes waving in a magical wind, her blue bat-like wings folded neatly behind her. She spread her arms to her side, forming a barrier around her, Ryu and Garr, which blocked out the smog.

“ _You must not hate,”_ the female voice said softly again, coming from the woman, as a white light began to surround the Dragon zombie as well.

“ _Reviled one!!”_ the skeleton shouted, enraged. _“Why must you always interfere?!”_ The light around it grew so bright that it consumed everything in sight. _“Why must you always RESTRAIN US?!!!”_

One final furious roar echoed off the walls, then abruptly the light dimmed. Ryu was surprised to find that the Dragon zombie and the pool of blood had disappeared, and in its place was an ebony glass orb that floated in midair. The orb suddenly fell to the ground, bouncing towards the young man and landed at his feet.

He bent to pick it up, but the moment his fingers touched the orb, malefic emotions shot through him.

Pain. Anger. Hatred.

But above all that… evil.

He inhaled sharply, trying to contain the whirling emotions.

No, he had just woken up from ten years of madness; it would not take much for him to succumb once more!

“ _I will force you to see the truth, Lord Ryu!!”_ the voice shouted in his mind.

He screamed as malefic power surged through his veins, burning him from the inside. A dark light engulfed him as emotions overwhelmed his heart, and his form began to change.

He grew longer, bigger. When the light faded, he was a large serpentine Dragon, his long azure body coiled around him like a rope as he floated. He had only two arms, which was covered in claws, and the horns on his head were covered in crimson flames.

He sent a ferocious roar through the cave, shaking the very ground.

“ _Kill the Guardian!!”_

_N-no… I won’t… let you…!!_

The Dragon thrashed, snarling, his head filled with pain. His tail flailed uncontrollably, crashing into carts, cavern walls, short cliffs, anything in the way.

“ _Kill! Kill! KILL!!”_

… _I… won’t…!!_

But his mind was quickly fading.

He was losing to the malefic power.

… _n-no…_

Then, he felt warmth in his heart. It was small, like a drop of light in a sea of darkness, yet it was strong. Desperate, he reached out towards it.

The moment he touched it, a great burst of light blinded him, and a new energy surged inside him. Warm energy, blanketing the dark emotions inside his heart.

It was warm, reassuring.

And it calmed him down.

Suddenly weak, the serpentine Dragon fell onto the ground with a loud crash. As a cloud of dust and dirt rose and covered him, he glowed dimly as he reverted back to his human form, gasping from the exertion.

“Ryu!” Garr cried, kneeling next to him. “Are you all right?”

“Ugh…” the young man groaned, sitting up slowly. “I’m fine… I’m fine, Garr.”

Ryu shook his head to clear his mind, relived now that all the negative emotions had disappeared. But, as he looked up, he found the winged woman kneeling in front of him… was she the one who helped him? She was holding the ebony glass orb in her hands, which, unlike before, was glowing faintly.

But what caught Ryu’s attention was the woman herself. He gasped when he saw her face, a familiar face that he had not seen for a long time.

_S-Sara…?_

She smiled, handing the orb to him. _“The Tiamat is but appeased now.”_ She spoke in a clear echoing voice, gentle and warm.

Snapping out of his stare, he nervously accepted the orb. To his pleasant surprise, he no longer felt strong emotions from it; just a small trickle of the anger and evil from before, and he felt he could handle it. He could use this Dragon form.

…but no. He didn’t want to. Not after what happened.

Standing up, the woman stated, _“That was not a Dragon.”_

“Not… a Dragon?” Ryu wondered if she meant the Tiamat.

Garr shook his head uncertainly. “Are you of the Dragonkin?”

She did not answer him; instead, she pointed at Ryu. _“A true Dragon…”_

“A… true Dragon…?” the young man muttered. “What do you…?”

She smiled lovingly at him, her body beginning to glow. _“Be strong, little brother…”_

“Sara! Wait!!” he exclaimed as she disappeared into a small sphere of light, which circled him once and entered him. “No, Sara…”

Warm power surged inside him, the complete opposite of the malefic power he had felt before, but instead of giving him a new Dragon form, it soon faded away. However, the lingering warm feeling reminded him of something, reminding him of a long lost past…

Confusion whirled in his mind.

The Guardian turned towards him. “Ryu… who was it? You seem to know her…”

Ryu shook his head in an attempt to clear his confused thoughts, then spoke quietly, “…I’m not really sure…” He rubbed his forehead hard, trying to suppress the dull ache. “I remember as a teenager, I lived in a village with an older sister called Sara… but…”

He was surprised. “But you were in a state of madness in this place until I found you, were you not?”

“That’s the point…” He sighed.

Garr held his chin in his hand. “And she called you a true Dragon… what is a true Dragon?”

Ryu gazed at the dark ceiling of the cave. “…a true Dragon doesn’t hate, and will protect with his powers.”

“A Dragon that does not hate… but protects?”

He shook his head quickly. “No. Don’t ask me how I know that. I don’t know how I know, either.”

“Hm… perhaps you have but some underlying memories that you have forgotten, yet these memories do not add up together…” He stretched his wings. “But pondering upon it is of no use to us now. Shall we continue outside?”

He nodded, suddenly weary. “Yeah, we should.”

Outside the mine was a place bustling with activity, despite the fact that the news of a Dragon roaming the mine had spread all over. Some of the men were digging part of the ground and ledges despite the fact that there was nothing to be found there; probably to keep themselves prepared for their return to the mine, as soon as the Dragon was removed.

The moment Ryu and Garr emerged from the mines and took a few steps, a loud deep voice shouted from below, “Well now, Mr. Garr!”

It was a bare-chested foreman wearing red pants, green boots and a green bandanna wrapped around his head, and a towel was wrapped around his neck. His bearded face broke into a grin as the two of them approached him, with the Guardian in front.

“So, were you able to get rid of the Dragon for us… huh?” He gazed at Ryu, who looked nervous. “Who’s this young fella?”

Garr shook his head. “Worry not about that… I have but done what I came here to do. The Dragon is removed from the mines.”

“Really?!” he exclaimed. “That’s good news! Now, if you’ll just come down to the office, the boss’ll give you the payment!”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

The foreman then sighed a little, shaking his head. “That goddamn Dragon, it ran around spitting fire on people–”

Ryu inhaled sharply as memories of flames cut through his mind, his eyes wide with horror.

“–killed some of my men, destroyed our machines and basically made a pretty bad mess of things here…”

“N-no…” the young man muttered, shutting his eyes tightly from the increasing pain.

He rubbed his head with one hand. “Man, it’s gonna cost a bomb to get everything back to how it was.”

Ryu felt as though his head would explode… as though he would succumb to madness once more.

Dizziness and weariness that had nagged at him since he had woken up earlier overwhelmed him. Holding his head, he fell to his knees, with one hand on the ground to steady himself, his eyes shut tightly. His breathing was heavy, with guilt, horror and remorse tearing at his heart.

“Ryu…” Garr knelt down at his side, a concerned expression on his face.

“H-hey, something wrong?” the foreman asked.

The young man shook his head slightly. “I-I’m fine… I’m just a bit tired…”

That wasn’t entirely a lie.

He stood up shakily, but nearly lost his balance again, if it weren’t for Garr catching him in time.

The Guardian shook his head, facing the foreman. “Regardless, we shall pay the office a visit now.”

“Right then!” The miner nodded, grinning. “Thanks a lot for your help, Mr. Garr!”

He nodded as both of them walked on, with Garr supporting the other with one arm. Once they were far enough from the miners, however, Ryu pulled away from him, albeit a little unsteadily.

“I-I’m okay now…” he stated. “Sorry…”

“Think naught of it, I understand. But if I may…” He shook his head, his eyes narrowed in concern. “Judge not yourself too harshly, Ryu. You had not control of yourself while you were consumed by madness… it is of no fault of yours.”

“It’s hard, but…” He sighed softly. “I’ll try.”

Upon entering the workers’ office, the helmeted foreman inside spoke in a hearty voice, “Ah, Mr. Garr! The money’s here, all waiting for you!” He gestured towards the bag of coins on the table.

Garr picked it up and counted the coins inside. “I thank you.”

He turned to go, but the miner with the helmet then said, “Say, Mr. Garr, why don’t you stay here, just in case any more Dragons show up?”

Ryu looked at his companion.

“I think not,” the winged man replied. “I am led to believe you shall find not a Dragon in future.”

The foreman appeared disappointed. “If you say so… I’d feel a lot better if you were around though.”

He shook his head. “We shall be going. I thank you for the reward.”

“No, thank you for your great work!”

“Oh, Mr. Garr!” the other worker cried. “If you’re heading down the mountain, be careful on Ogre Road!”

Garr raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“We’ve heard that a really ferocious monster that attacks people passing there, lately, so be careful!”

He nodded. “We will. Thank you.”

With that, he turned and exited the office, with Ryu following closely behind.

“Um …” Ryu started as they headed for the Dauna Mine exit. “Where are we, exactly?”

“We are in Dauna,” Garr explained. “To the southwest lies Syn City, unofficially the biggest black market around. To the south lies Orgre Road and Mt. Levett, and once across we shall find ourselves in Yrall. Further east lies Wyndia.”

At the mention of the Yraall region, Ryu recalled the happy times he had spent with Rei and Teepo. Ten years had passed without him realising… would they still be alive?

_They must be… if I’m still alive…_

“ _But you’re a Dragon, and they’re not,”_ part of him argued.

That made his heart felt cold.

 

* * *

 

_He found himself running along the wooden platforms of Dauna Mines, in his young Dragon form. Everyone who saw him screamed and fled, and there were those who trembled and were too petrified to move, but there were even those brave or foolish ones who attempted to catch him._

“ _There he is!” one of the workers cried, wielding a pickaxe. “Get him!!”_

_He froze, his instincts telling him to kill them, yet his heart screaming not to… in the midst of the confusion, suddenly he found that he was no longer in control of his own body, but instead he was watching from the distance as though it was someone else._

_And to his horror, his Dragon form started sending waves of flames at every human it came across, even those who were trying to escape._

“ _NO!!” he shouted. “Don’t kill them! DON’T KILL THEM!!”_

_But the whelp either ignored him or did not hear him, for it continued to burn them with its lethal flames._

“ _NO!!”_

_Then, suddenly, the Dragon sent another wave of fire upwards to the ceiling, and the mine began to shake and collapse, with large boulder raining down onto everyone in sight._

“ _No…” Ryu moaned as everything turned dark, finally regaining control of his body. “W-what have I… what have I done…?”_

_He took a few slow, uncertain steps._

“ _I… I don’t want to be like this… I don’t want to be a bloodthirsty monster…”_

_He gazed upward slowly and instantly caught sight of the gigantic fossilised Dragon on the wall, its empty eyes staring into him._

“ _Everyone’s… dead…”_

“ _And it’s all because of you!” a familiar voice shouted at him._

_Immediately he spun around, growling, then his eyes widened in horror._

_Before him, the tall figures of Balio and Sunder loomed over him, a smirk on each of their faces._

“ _You bring trouble wherever you go!” the azure-haired brother shouted._

“ _That’s right!” Sunder neighed triumphantly. “Look at how many people died at your hands!!”_

“ _N-no… I…” Ryu gazed at his claws, despaired. “I don’t want to… I didn’t intend to…”_

_Sunder stepped nearer to him and slammed a hoof into his chest. “You’re better off DEAD!!”_

“… _I-I… I…!”_

“ _Don’t worry… just think of how much trouble-free the world is once you’re gone!” Balio said smugly, pulling out a dagger._

_In a great flash of light, the two half-unicorns fused together to form Stallion, with one huge blade in one hand._

“ _DIE, MONSTER!!” both Balio and Sunder’s voices cried together, and then Stallion stabbed forward with its weapon._

“ _W-wait! I… I…!!”_

_But he was given no chance to explain himself._

_And the blade stabbed him._

_Even as he fell backwards, his sight filled with crimson blood, he saw that the blank stare of the fossilised Dragon was on him, its mouth open in a mocking laughter._

 

* * *

 

“Argh!!” Ryu screamed as he sat up quickly, breathing hard. His heart was racing, as though he had run for miles, and he felt an ache in his chest where he was stabbed in the dream. It had felt so vivid, too real to be just a dream…

_No…_ he told himself, placing a hand over his eyes in an attempt to calm himself down. _It’s just a dream… it’s not real…_

But no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that it was only a dream, he could not help but to feel that most of it was true.

_No matter how I look at it… I’m… a monster…_

For a long time, he stared off into space, depressed, but after a while, he noticed that his companion was nowhere in the tent.

_Outside…?_

Just as he had suspected, Garr was still sitting at the campfire, occasionally feeding it logs. He continued to stare into the fire, as though contemplating about something, but he glanced over a shoulder at Ryu when he came out.

“I heard your cries… is there something wrong?” he asked.

“No… don’t worry about it.” The young man sighed, rubbing his tired eyes, as he sat next to the campfire as well.

They lapsed into a long silence, gazing into the fire.

Garr suddenly spoke, “I beg your forgiveness, Ryu…”

Ryu faced him, puzzled. “Huh? Why?”

“Not only for attempting to take your life, but…” He hesitated for a moment. “I know not if it is right to bring you by my side like this… as I search for the Goddess…”

He did not answer.

“But… why the Goddess saw it fit to destroy the Brood…” He tossed a log into the fire. “It is but a question whose answer you have the right to know.”

“I…” He closed his eyes, resting his head on his knees. “I don’t even know if I want to find out the answer… the answer to this confusion…”

Garr turned towards him. “Only you can decide for yourself, Ryu.”

“ _Only you can decide, Ryu,”_ Ladon repeated in his ear.

The protectors – the Force Dragon, the Trygon and the Behemoth, still residing within him – resonated in agreement.

And the Tiamat followed suit grudgingly.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used to set a twenty page limit for myself so that I won’t write a chapter that’s way too long, but I decided to remove that limit for a moment when I fixed this chapter. But without that limit, I seemed to have gotten caught in the flow and made it much longer than it originally was. Wonder if it’s good or bad. x_x
> 
> During the part when Ryu first woke up… you’re probably thinking it’s waaaaaay longer and more complicated than what the game showed. There’s a reason for that, really; there was one guide I read for fun (miscellaneous info guide in GameFAQs, I think) who had one small but unanswered question – how did Ryu adjust to “modern” life so easily, when he first woke up in Rei and Teepo’s house? Which further made me think – after ten years of madness, living like an animal, how did Ryu adjust so easily to normal life again? Since the last time he was “conscious” he was a small child, wouldn’t he feel like he doesn’t have full control of his limbs, like a person who stepped into a humanoid robot with little knowledge to control it?
> 
> That’s why this chapter is so extensive. xP
> 
> And if you played BoF1… well, then you’ll know who Sara is. If you don’t, don’t worry, it’s nothing big; spoiler free for people who haven’t played BoF1. :D


	19. Sixteen: For Old Friends

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Sixteen: For Old Friends**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

The terrain around Dauna Mine was rocky and dry, giving a dull, gloomy feel to the scenery compared to the greenery of Wyndia. As they moved south, however, the dull colour turned into eye-pleasing green, with rabbits bounding all over the fields and around the occasional trees.

Further south was a lush forest, where travellers were greeted by the cheerful chirping of birds and the mysterious hushing of the trees. Sunlight streamed between the thick leaves of the trees, giving the forest a serene, peaceful feel.

This was Ogre Road, perhaps? It seemed to be too peaceful to warrant such a name.

Glad to have a chance for respite, Ryu raised his head and closed his eyes, listening to the rustling of the leaves each time a gust of wind blew.

Ever since he had woken up in Dauna Mine two days ago, he constantly felt worn out, as though there was something sapping his energy. He blamed the recurring nightmares of flames and death at night, which somehow always ended with him getting stabbed in the chest, and constant remembrance of them during the day. He often walked with a heavy feeling in his heart, dreading each moment of the day.

But here, the peacefulness of the forest helped him to relax. Even if only a little.

Like other parts of the wilderness, however, monsters roamed the forest in search of food, gigantic silver birds with sharp claws that could shut like a trap. They were fast, but not fast enough to compete with the combine strength of the two travellers.

Ryu and Garr even became targets of bandits, who had assessed their next victims poorly and were easily trashed, fleeing between the trees and yelling, “HELP!!”

Certainly, the peacefulness was short-lived.

As they neared the exit, two hours later, Ryu’s ears picked up the sound of rustling from one side of the road, followed by silence. Just as he thought he had imagined it, there was another rustle. And another.

His eyes narrowed, focused towards the front, he called in a low voice, “Garr.”

The winged man did not turn to face him. “Did you sense it as well?”

He nodded, hearing another rustle between the trees. “Something’s following us.”

“We should alert it not. Let us wait for it to strike and ambush it.”

“All right.”

They continued on, as though they were unaware of the creature stalking them, but their ears caught each sound it made, focused on its presence. Ryu’s muscles tensed up, ready for action if it attacked…

And then, it struck.

With a loud snarl, a large creature charged out of the bushes, its sharp claws gleaming in the rays of the sun as it prepared to strike… but the young man had already expected an attack. In one swift motion, he spun around and simultaneously drew his sword out in a diagonal slash.

A loud roar pierced the sky, startling him, and the creature retaliated.

Ryu, his reaction still slower than his best, could do nothing but to raise his sword horizontally as a shield.

_Clang!_

Like another blade, its sharp claws hit his sword, aiming for his neck if it weren’t for the interruption. Its strength was incredible; Ryu gritted his teeth as he struggled to hold the blade in place, trying to keep it away from his neck.

But as his gaze fell onto the golden eyes of the creature, his own blue ones widened.

Golden eyes he had never seen before, but golden eyes he found familiar.

Before he had the chance to ponder further, Garr charged towards the monster and swung his heavy halberd in a downward motion, which the monster was able to dodge nimbly, growling as it leaped back.

The momentary pause allowed them a chance to see what it was – a weretiger.

Stripes covered its golden fur in regular intervals, across its head, back, legs and tail, and fiery crimson mane stood on the back of its neck and upper half of its back. Other than the fact that it stood taller than Garr on its hind legs, it was similar to an ordinary tiger, with even more ferocity than one. A deep cut stood out from its chest, oozing with blood.

It was a creature Ryu hadn’t seen before… yet why had he found its eyes so familiar…?

Dissatisfied with its failed surprise attack, the weretiger snarled and rushed at him once more, unleashing a furious volley of claw swipes. Ryu, no longer as sluggish as the time in Dauna Mine, was able to deflect each strike with his blade, moving backwards to allow himself more space to react. He still hadn’t regained his agile movements, which was why he didn’t try to evade, but his swordplay had certainly improved.

Seeing its attacks easily deflected, the monster briefly lost its confidence and hesitated.

It was a short period of time, but it was enough.

It was an opening.

But Ryu felt unable to raise his sword to strike. A heavy feeling filled his heart, not wanting to hurt this weretiger.

Why?

He didn’t know.

The creature recovered its composure and roared, its claws raised to strike.

It was then when Garr moved behind it, both his hands gripping the handle of his halberd, and swung hard at its back.

The weretiger roared, clutching at its wounds, and leaped high into the air to escape from the pincer attack. It landed a short distance from them, growling as it gazed at them, then turned heel and escaped into the forest.

“…it’s gone.” Ryu sheathed his sword, his eyes still focused in the direction the weretiger had disappeared to.

The Guardian turned towards him, lowering his halberd. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” _Where… have I seen those golden eyes before…?_

“Your abilities seem to have mostly returned,” he commented, arriving at his side.

He smiled a little. “Thanks. I’m glad I’m not going to be a burden to you any longer.”

“You are no burden to me; I have naught but gratitude to you for sparing my life.” Garr bowed humbly. “I will do aught and all to ensure no harm befalls you, in atonement for my sins.”

He reddened. “You don’t have to do that… I’m not your master or anything; I’m your friend.” Shaking his head, he continued, “We’ll work together and cover each other’s backs. Isn’t that what friends do?”

“There is certainly truth in your words.” Chuckling, the Guardian straightened. “Mayhap I have been thoughtless to your feelings… what a friend does not, does he?”

Ryu laughed. “You’re getting it. Come on, let’s get going.”

 

* * *

 

Once the forest had been left far behind, the rocky terrain returned, filling most of the scenery with a rocky beige colour, and mountains soon loomed into view in the distance. Mt. Levett, which took two days to reach from Ogre Road, sat right in the middle of the mountain range, with a winding path around it that did not require much climbing. Within the same day they began their ascent on Mt. Levett, the small farming village of McNeil came into view.

Standing on a high ledge, Ryu gazed downwards at the place he had used to visit with Rei and Teepo… the memories still fresh in his mind. Watching the villagers at work, the cows grazing lazily in the fields, he felt rather nostalgic, and it seemed nothing had changed since he left for Wyndia ten years ago.

Had ten years really passed? Would he just wake up from this nightmare, find himself still a child lying down on his makeshift bed in the cabin next to Rei and Teepo and laughing at the absurdity of it?

No, it hadn’t been a dream. He had lost his first two friends by being weak, and betrayed the others by succumbing to madness.

And he had lost ten years, just like that.

He felt a dull ache in his chest. He placed a hand on it, feeling the tears welling up in his eyes.

It… hurt.

“Have you been here before?” Garr inquired as he stopped beside him, startling him. “It would seem this place is not a mere village to you.”

“Yeah…” Ryu’s eyes wandered towards Cedar Woods to the north. “I used to live in the woods near this village with Rei and Teepo, years ago before I left for Wyndia searching for them…”

“I see.” Interested, he looked around the village. “Peace seems to be a common commodity here.”

“Yes, it’s a peaceful place, and I was happy here…” He closed his eyes. “At least I didn’t know about my destructive powers then…”

“Power, in itself, is destructive not.” He turned to his companion. “Ultimately it depends on you, does it not?”

He nodded, but unable to answer beyond that.

The Guardian suddenly cleared his throat, making Ryu jump. “Mayhap we should pay a visit for supplies?”

“A-ah, yes, we should.”

After less than an hour of descending the cliffs, they arrived at the wide wooden bridge that connected the Yraall and Dauna regions, which Ryu vaguely recalled was broken the last time he was here. However, when they reached the junction in the centre of the road, they were surprised to see Wyndian guards there, with barricades blocking the Dauna and Wyndia exits of Yrall Road.

“Hey, what’s this?” the azure-haired man asked no one in particular. “This wasn’t here ten years ago…”

“Perchance something is happening here… pardon us, sir.” Garr stopped a passing guard. “May I ask what event has transpired here?”

The guard blinked for a moment, focused on his odd manner of speech, before he answered, “Oh, we’re investigating rumours that someone from McNeil Village has been smuggling foodstuffs into the black market, and no one is allowed to leave until our investigation is finished.” He shook his head regretfully. “I’m sorry, sirs, but I’ll have to ask you to wait here in this village.”

“No, it’s fine,” Ryu said. “We understand.”

The soldier saluted and continued on his way.

Garr folded his arms across his chest. “Our luck is ill, that we should be delayed just as we are in a bit of a hurry.” He turned towards his companion. “Shall we go to the village?”

The young man nodded, though reluctantly. “Okay, but I hope no one recognises me…”

Luckily for Ryu, no one paid any heed to him or his partner. There was a definite gloom that hung in the village air, and each villager trudged through their tasks as though the day was a drag. Investigators in uniforms were everywhere, each one interrogating a separate villager, who either had a miserable expression or a frustrated one.

Ryu sighed in relief as he walked by, unrecognised as an adult – his last memory of the villagers was not exactly happy.

“Hm, this does not bode well,” the winged man commented. “Let us hope this will not be long.”

“I hope so.” The younger of the two shook his head. “Having too much free time doesn’t really suit me.” _Because I’ll keep remembering things that I don’t want to…_

“We can only hope, can we not?” He stretched his wings. “Perhaps it would be nice to sleep in a bed for a change… is there an inn here?”

“Yeah, there is.” He pointed towards a medium-sized building with a sign that said _McNeil Inn_.

Stepping into the inn, a cheerful old woman greeted from behind a counter. “Welcome, travellers! Looking for a room for the night?” It was the same innkeeper as the one Ryu vaguely remembered, this time with greying hair and more wrinkles.

Garr nodded, approaching the counter. “How much zenny will a night require?”

“Just thirty zenny for both of you, good sirs! There are only two of you, aren’t there?” She looked first at him, then at Ryu, but when she caught sight of the electric blue hair, she blinked and asked, “…sir, is this your first time in the village?”

The young man was taken aback. “H-huh? W-well…” He hesitated, and then proceeded to lie, “Um, y-yeah…”

“Hm…” She seemed a little unconvinced. “Well, sonny, you’re the second person with blue hair I saw in my life. The first was a boy who used live with two thieves in Cedar Woods.”

“Is that so?” There was a hint of interest in the Guardian’s voice.

She nodded. “He looked like a good quiet boy, a real angel, but when he came to live with those rascals Rei and Teepo one day, he followed their bad ways; those two often stole things from the village. They stopped it once they defeated the monster in the mountain, but soon after, they ended up stealing money from the mayor and putting them on every house’s doorstep for no apparent reason…”

By now, Ryu’s face was a bright red colour. The innkeeper did not notice it, but Garr, seeing how uncomfortable his friend was, cleared his throat and changed the subject, “Madam, perhaps a more recent event?”

The woman gave a cry. “Oh, of course! Mind you, my husband always tells me I talk too much for my own good!” She laughed a little before continuing, “Well, I’m sure you can see all these soldiers outside. She gestured towards a nearby window. “The mayor’s under investigation for wrong-doing, and there’s a wild tiger on the loose…”

“A tiger?” Ryu echoed. “I wonder if that’s the same one that escaped from us on Ogre Road three days ago?”

“Escaped?” The woman gasped, flabbergasted. “You mean you didn’t kill it?!”

“No…” _There’s… something about that tiger that I…_

“That tiger just showed up last night, wounded, and it ran up into Cedar Woods north of here! I’m not blaming you or anything, but…” She shook her head. “It’ll do you good if you stay away from the forest, there’s nothing worse than hunting a wounded animal!”

“Perhaps the blame falls not on us.” The Dragon-like man crossed his arms. “Though mayhap we could rectify this problem?”

“Would you?” The innkeeper’s eyes lit up with happiness. “Oh, that would be wonderful! As thanks, I’ll let you stay here, on the house!” She took out a key and gave it to Garr. “Here, your room’s on the second floor, the first one on the left. Thank you so much!”

He nodded as he took the key. “Thank you.”

As the two travellers climbed the staircase to their rooms, Ryu fell silent.

A sudden thought had come to his mind during the talk about the weretiger, and he dared not hope for it.

_Could… could it be…?_

 

* * *

 

“ _Ryu…? Teepo…?”_

_It was a dark, rainy night in the forest. Thunder roared like a great furious creature and lightning tore the sky into two. The rain worked hard to put out the fire on the burning cabin, but the flames were adamant, refusing to go down without a fight._

_Rei pulled himself weakly out of the water and onto a river bank, coughing and spluttering terribly, and collapsed heavily onto the ground. Pain shot through his body at the slightest movements, and he shut his eyes tightly as he tried not to scream, his hand clutching at the bleeding wound on his chest._

_He lay there for a moment, exhausted._

_Suddenly, he quickly glanced up at the dark sky, which was then no longer orange with fire._

_It made his blood run cold._

_Forcing himself to stand despite his wounds, he limped as fast as he could in the direction of his home, gritting his teeth in pain as he walked, his hand pressed painfully onto his chest._

“ _Ryu! Teepo!!” he cried anxiously, looking all over for his companions._

_Then, he froze in his tracks. His eyes wide open, his jaw dropped in utter horror._

_A wooden fence, without a cabin to protect._

_That was all that remained of his home; the fire had reduced most of it to mere ashes, and it was distorted out of recognition._

_With the destroyed cabin went his destroyed hope._

“ _Ryu?! Teepo?!!”_

_Filled with a sudden burst of energy, his heart filled with fear, he leaped onto a tree, high enough to see quite a distance away. From there, he searched frantically for his two young companions._

_But soon, even he had to give up._

“ _No…”_

_He had to accept that his friends were dead._

_Dead. All because he couldn’t protect them._

_He shut his eyes tightly, covering them with his hands as he sobbed._

_Then, abruptly, he threw his head up towards the sky, screaming into the storm._

“ _NOOOOOOO!!!”_

_But instead of his voice, what came from him was a ferocious roar that echoed loudly through the forest, accompanied by the crash of thunder._

 

* * *

 

Ryu strode along the familiar forest path with heavy steps, despair weighing on his heart. His mind screamed at him to run away and never turn back, to leave this all behind him as a forgotten memory, but he pushed on, knowing he had to confirm his suspicions, knowing he had to face his painful past once again. He had spent the whole night convincing himself to come, unable to sleep, and there was no way he would turn away now.

Yet, his heart throbbed with pain as he sliced the Eye Goo monsters he encountered… the very first type of monster he had fought here years ago.

It was Rei who taught him swordplay.

It was Teepo who taught him magic.

Yet, it was he who had been helpless, who had been unable to help them when they needed it most.

Why? Why would fate be so cruel?

Garr said nothing as he followed Ryu’s lead, only grunting as he easily silenced the monsters that attacked them. He knew there was something tormenting his companion’s mind, yet he knew there was nothing he could say to make him feel better.

“Remember when I told you about staying here before I left for Wyndia… in this forest…?” the young man asked as he walked, his voice so soft that it was almost a whisper.

“I remember.” The winged man turned towards him. “Are you heading there?”

“Yes… yes, I am.” Quiet sadness showed plainly on his face. “This is where I used to live with Rei and Teepo… and where I was separated from them…”

“I see…”

He abruptly stopped in his tracks, his head lowered. “I’m sorry, Garr… I…” He closed his eyes tightly. “I need to go… alone…”

“I understand. I shall await your return here.” He turned away, but glanced over a shoulder at him. “…be careful.”

“I will, don’t worry.”

And, from there on, Ryu strode on alone.

His ears picked up a deep growl from somewhere nearby, and it grew louder and more ferocious as he approached the crumbled cabin that used to be his home. He tried to keep his senses heightened in preparation of an attack from the weretiger, as he did in Ogre Road, but he found it difficult.

Memories of the past came rushing into his mind…

“ _Well, I’m no doctor so I can’t tell you anything about memories…”_ Rei had said then. _“But you’re welcome to stay as long as you like, yeah?”_

“ _Okay, Ryu!”_ Teepo flashed his cheeky grin. _“Show us what you’re made of!”_

He chuckled sadly at the old memories.

_Rei and Teepo… they accepted me so easily… and yet I…_

A sudden growl from above him startled him out of his thoughts, indicating that its owner was very near. It sounded rather ferocious, terrifying enough to scare a grown man away instantly, but Ryu stood his ground. Without turning, he spoke quietly.

“…it’s you… isn’t it…?”

The growl stopped immediately, and then there was a long silence. The soft thud behind the young man told him that something jumped from what was left of the high fence and landed on the ground some distance behind him – but it was not the weretiger.

It was a man, perhaps in his late twenties, with stripes covering the golden fur on his skin. His ears were pointed and had a tinge of black at its end, and his hair was long, rather spiky and as golden as his fur, with a white bandanna around his forehead. He wore a sleeveless red vest that exposed his chest, red pants with a black belt, white gloves on his hands and red and white footwear that exposed the claws on his feet. At the back of his waist were two sheathed daggers strapped together, forming a cross, and beneath that was a swishing stripped tail.

And a new slash wound could be seen, a deep red line across his chest.

“…Ryu?” his voice called out uncertainly, slightly hoarse but extremely familiar. “Is that you…?”

The azure-haired man faced him with a slight smile on his face, a smile tinged with relief, joy and sadness. “It’s been a while… Rei.”

“So it’s really you…” Rei shook his head, stepping nearer to him as he gazed at him disbelievingly. “I… really don’t believe it… look at you… you’re no longer a kid…”

He chuckled softly. “Time certainly has passed, hasn’t it, Rei? To think that our lives would end up like this…”

“Yeah…” He grinned. “You’ve grown really strong, Ryu, you’re not at all like what you were so long ago. I mean, you beat me on Ogre Road!” He then started laughing, as though he had found it exceedingly funny. “Hahaha! Doesn’t that beat all? I never imagined I’d get beaten by you, Ryu! Especially since I didn’t hold back at all! Hahaha! This kid who couldn’t say ‘boo’ to a goose so many years ago has grown this strong?!”

And he continued laughing uncontrollably at the irony of it.

Ryu’s heart fell, and he averted his eyes. _He was the one who taught me how to fight too…_

The half-tiger continued to laugh for a long time, but soon he gradually calmed down. “Still… I mean…” He smiled. “It’s nice to know that you’re okay, Ryu. I feel a little better now, knowing that you’re alive and well.”

“That’s good, I’m glad…” Ryu then looked up at him, hesitating. “Rei, have you… heard anything from Teepo?”

He shook his head, a little despaired. “No, not at all… I thought I was the only one who survived, since I couldn’t find both of you after years of searching…”

“I… see…”

“Ryu.” Rei’s voice suddenly hardened, drawing his attention. “On the far end of Ogre Road, there’s a black market.”

“A black market…” The younger man thought for a moment, trying to remember what Garr had told him before. “…you mean Syn City?”

“Think so. I don’t remember the name too well.” The kind gleam in his eyes that Ryu used to know had disappeared. “The guys who tried to kill us – the ones working with McNeil – came from there.” He shook his head. “It took me a long time, but I finally tracked them down to that black market, and I kept an eye on who went in and out from the road. I kept on attacking them…”

“But… why…?” He shook his head. “You never liked hurting people…”

He closed his eyes. “I… thought I’d avenge you and Teepo… but look how I ended up… an uncontrollable monster…”

“Rei…” He took a step closer to him, his eyes pleading. “Rei, please stop, you don’t have to do this anymore…”

“I can’t stop!!” he suddenly snarled, looking up with eyes flashing with violent anger. “Not until I teach them not to mess with me, or MY FAMILY!!”

Before Ryu could stop him, he leaped high into the air and disappeared among the trees, a ferocious roar echoing through the forest.

The young man closed his eyes, feeling like a child ready to cry. “…Rei… I…”

He had left in search of them ten years ago in hopes of returning to his happy life, but now… even if he had found one of them, they had changed too much, unable to return to how they were before…

He stood there for a long time, his eyes shut, but soon he took a deep breath and headed back to his companion who was still waiting for him as he had promised.

“Hm?” Garr turned towards him. “You came alone. What of the tiger?”

“I think he went to the village…” he replied quietly, lowering his eyes. “He’s… really Rei… one of my friends whom I’ve been looking for so long…”

“I see.”

“He’s different now… he only wants to get revenge on those people who… ruined our lives…” He closed his eyes again. “I’m glad to see him alive, but this…”

“Time does change one… sometimes for the worse.” He nodded. “Now, let us hurry to McNeil Village. I fear your friend may do the unthinkable there.”

He nodded silently.

 

* * *

 

Just as they had taken an hour to reach the burnt cabin in Cedar Woods from the village, it took just as long for them to return there. When they did, however, they saw that a crowd had gathered in the centre of McNeil village, indicating that something had just happened.

“It had to be Rei!” an old man cried. “He’s come for revenge on us!!”

“No…” Ryu muttered and slowly made his way through the crowd, trying to find out what Rei had done.

…and wished that he hadn’t.

A thin man was screaming, lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, his clothes torn and exposing the bleeding flesh beneath them. The partially shredded green cloak that hid his face told Ryu who it was immediately – Loki, the first person who had ruined the trio’s lives.

“H-help me!!” Loki screamed. “It hurts! IT HURTS!!!”

At first, the young man only stood there, unable to help but to feel glad that the cloaked man was paying for what he had done years ago… after all, he had used three innocent people – two of them mere children – to fuel his desires, which in turn destroyed their lives.

He deserved it.

But pity and sadness soon washed over Ryu, overwhelming his sadistic satisfaction. He stepped forward, sighing softly, and knelt beside Loki, whose eyes widened in fear.

“T-that blue hair…!!” he stammered. “Y-you’re that…!!”

Ryu did not reply as his hand began to glow, with sparkles circling Loki and healing his wounds.

Even if this man had brought forth destruction to his life… he still could not bear to kill him.

Just like how he had felt towards Balio and Sunder.

“W-why…?” Loki muttered disbelievingly.

Once the wounds had healed enough for the cloaked man to be out of danger, Ryu straightened and turned away… after all, he had no desire to heal the man completely. After a moment’s silence, he repeated what he had said to the half-unicorn brothers.

“…killing you will not bring my friends back.”

And he began to step away.

The crowd quickly parted to let him through, afraid that he would hurt them the way Rei had done to Loki.

And he didn’t once turn back to face the residents of the village. He could no longer face them, not after they recognised him.

He could feel their eyes on him. The stares were beginning to burn into his back, like fireballs falling from the sky.

He walked on briskly, wanting to get out of their line of sight quickly.

He hated the feeling of their eyes on his back… as though he was still a child, unable to accept the looks they had for him after the mayor’s money had been stolen.

He hated it. It reminded him of his ineptness as a child.

Garr followed behind silently, allowing Ryu the chance to deal with the emotional turmoil inside him. He said nothing as they walked all the way to the farming side of the village, where a tiny shack sat at the fork in the road, but he knew he had to snap his friend out of his internal conflict.

“Ryu, where do you intend to run?” he asked, a little too demandingly.

The young man froze in his tracks, stunned, then spun around to face his companion as though he had suddenly realised he was there.

“I know not the pain you carried from this place,” Garr continued, watching his friend intently. “But do remember what the past is, and what the present is. Forget not that we are in the present.

The cerulean blue eyes appeared confused, then realisation flickered in them.

Ryu lowered his head, ashamed. “I’m sorry…”

“I understand your mind has yet recovered not from your ten-year ordeal…” Garr shifted uncomfortably at the mention of it, knowing the madness was his fault, but he continued on, “But know the past cannot be changed. Let not the past influence you deeply now.”

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself, and looked up, more cheerful. “Thanks, Garr… thanks for reminding me.”

He smiled a little as well. “It is good we have come to an understanding.” He crossed his arms. “Though I begin to realise why Rei has such hate for these people.”

He turned away, not quite knowing what to say.

“Perhaps this is for me to mention not, but…” He shook his head, his golden eyes fixed on his azure-haired companion. “Are you concerned not with revenge? Like Rei?”

“Sometimes I don’t know…” Sighing, Ryu turned towards the sky. “Part of me really wants to hurt them, yet another part of me doesn’t…” He faced the Guardian again, smiling. “But don’t worry, I won’t hurt them. Even if I do, it won’t accomplish anything, right?”

He nodded approvingly. “That is the Ryu I know.”

Then, the young man’s expression grew serious. “We should head up to the mayor’s manor; he was the one who called Balio and Sunder to deal with us… so Rei might go there.”

“All right.”

Just as they neared the manor, however, they saw several Wyndian soldiers escorting – or rather, half-dragging – the mayor, all tied up, along the road to the village. He seemed to be in distress, shouting and pleading to be released, but the guards paid no heed to him as they stopped before a girl that stood some distance away from the front gates of the manor.

The young girl, perhaps in her late teens, had short blond hair that framed her pretty face, decorated with a red hair band, and she wore a short red dress with short sleeves, complete with high red boots. She seemed like a high ranking person from the way she spoke to the soldiers, yet the only jewellery she wore were golden bracelets around her wrists and a purple crystal brooch between her collarbones.

However, the most notable thing about her was her pair of wings on her back. Those wings, with white feathers, were a little small for her to fly, for they were only as long as her arms at full length. In addition to that, two large white ribbon-like plumes flowed around her ankles from her back, and they, together with the wings, spread in four different directions like the wings of a butterfly.

“Mr. McNeil, you have been found guilty of smuggling foodstuff into the black market!” she spoke in a clear, formal tone, the sweetest voice Ryu had heard. “In the name of the King of Wyndia, I hereby arrest you!”

“N-n-n-no!” the mayor whimpered, shaking his head in terror. “You’ve g-got it all wrong! It w-wasn’t me! I swear i-it!!”

The girl stood with her arms akimbo, appearing a little tomboyish. “It’s no use trying to lie, Mr. McNeil, we know a thing a two about your friends Balio and Sunder, the ones who work for the organisation you told us about!” She shook her head. “Unfortunately, they–”

“–are dead, are they not, Princess Nina?” Garr completed her sentence, approaching her.

Ryu’s eyes widened. _N-Nina?!_

Everyone in the large group turned, started.

“Garr? What are you doing here?” the girl called out, gazing at him, and then at his companion behind. The moment she set her eyes on the young man, she gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. “Ryu?!!”

Ryu blushed when she stared at him, not even noticing that the soldiers had started to whisper among themselves. He wanted to say something to her, at least a word of greeting, but he found that he was suddenly quite tongue-tied…

The winged man nodded, smiling a little. “‘It has been a while, princess. So… this is the infamous mayor?” He glanced at McNeil, who flinched as though he had been hit, then back at the princess. “Mayhap our limited information on that organisation can be of help… but first, I believe he should be sent to Wyndia without delay.”

Nina seemed a little puzzled, but nonetheless, she nodded. “All right.” Whirling around to face the Wyndian guards, her plumes floating by her legs, she spoke in her formal voice again, “Return to the castle at once, and take Mr. McNeil with you!”

At first the guards did not move, looking as though they wanted to ask questions, but with a loud ‘ _Ahem!_ ’ from her, they quickly saluted. “Y-yes, Your Highness!”

Obediently, they marched along the path to Yraall Road, with the whimpering mayor between them.

As the remaining three watched the solemn possession march out of sight, the princess stayed silent. Ryu began to feel nervous… was she angry at him? Furious with him for disappearing for ten years? She seemed to be waiting for something…

The soldiers disappeared from sight.

Then, abruptly, Nina gave a shriek of delight that made the young man jump in fright and threw herself at him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

“Oh, Ryu!!” she cried, laughing and crying at the same time. “I’m so glad you’re all right!”

Ryu turned a bright shade of red at this sudden display of happiness. “I-I’m glad you’re all right too, Nina…”

She held him in that embarrassing position for a while, then let him go with a big smile on her face. “Wow, you’re so tall now! I can hardly believe I’m only up to your chin! And your hair! It’s even messier than usual! What have you been doing to it all these years?”

The more she chattered, the redder he became. He had already forgotten what her last sentence was.

Garr cleared his throat, amused. “Nina, his head shall explode if you further continue your rapid speech…”

“Oh!” She stopped hurriedly, gazing at Ryu’s face, and laughed. “Ryu! I swear I’ve never seen you this red before!”

And, if it was even possible, Ryu grew even redder.

The winged man chuckled. “Let us deflect our attention from him for a moment…” He eyed the wings on Nina’s back. “I had thought wings are no longer a Wyndian’s trait.”

Nina beamed, waving the said wings a little. “Didn’t I tell you? Members of the Wyndian royal family have wings… and I’m one of them, aren’t I?” At Ryu’s dumbfounded look, she giggled. “We royal Wyndians have something called Wing Day on our twelfth birthday, which is the day our wings grow. I was too young the last time I saw you, that’s why you didn’t see any wings on me!”

“Fascinating,” Garr commented. “Are you able to take flight?”

“Well…” She grinned sheepishly. “I can only hover for five seconds.”

“At least it’s something,” Ryu remarked and smiled, no longer embarrassed in her presence. He was fond of her, even during their travels all those years ago.

“But what happened to you, Ryu?” Nina asked, shaking her head. “Where were you? Garr refused to tell us anything after we left Angel Tower. He just sent us all home and went to search for you all by himself…”

“…I…” He focused his eyes on the ground, despair overwhelming him. “I’m sorry, Nina… I’m sorry that I didn’t come back for so long…”

She smiled, putting a hand on his. “I know you did your best to keep your promise, so don’t worry about it, okay?”

He nodded, attempting to smile. “Okay.”

Garr shook his head, his eyes dull with remorse. “I fear this will take long. Mayhap a place where we can discuss undisturbed?”

The girl looked thoughtful. “Hm… there should be one somewhere here.”

 

* * *

 

They soon found a quiet spot under a tree in a pasture, where there were only cows to listen to their conversation. It was a warm afternoon, with the sun shining merrily in the sky and the cows grazing happily as though without a care for the world, and a peaceful atmosphere filled the place.

As the Guardian related everything that had happened starting from Angel Tower years ago, Ryu lay on the grass, his head hidden in the shade of the tree, only partially listening to the story. The warmth and peacefulness, not to mention the princess’ presence itself, helped him to relax as he gazed at the clouds lazily floating about in the sky. But soon lack of sleep began to take a toll on him…

“…that was all,” Garr concluded quietly some time later.

“I see… the power of the Brood…” Nina shook her head slowly. “I really don’t know what to say, Garr, it all seems so big…” She kept her eyes on the ground. “Poor Ryu…”

Guilt washed over his face. “…I apologise…”

She looked up, trying to smile. “But it wasn’t really your fault… you did do your best to bring Ryu back, after all.”

“Unfortunately, it is insufficient to pay for my actions.” He closed his eyes. “…only now do I realise; despite being at war with the Dragonkin, I know naught about them beyond a mere drop of the sea…”

She sighed softly, resting her head on her knees. “And to think… I never knew how much you were suffering in the last ten years, Ryu…”

There was no reply from the azure-haired man.

She raised her head again, turning towards him. “Ryu, I… huh?” She blinked in surprise.

Ryu was fast asleep.

Lying on the grass, his head in the shade of the nearest tree, he dozed peacefully without the slightest snore – it turned out that he hadn’t heard a single word at all.

Garr chuckled softly.

“Wow.” Nina giggled. “This is the first time I’m seeing him sleep during the day.”

“As with mine. But he has a good reason.” Concern showed on the Guardian’s face. “He has had known naught but troubled sleep at night ever since I brought him out of Dauna Mine.” He shook his head. “He said naught of it, but I heard his cries…”

Her eyes narrowed with worry. “Poor Ryu…”

He stood up slowly. “Let him have a moment’s sleep, it will do him good.” He stretched his wings. “I shall meet you here in a while.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

With that, he strode off.

Nina rested her head on her knees once more, watching her sleeping companion’s chest rise and fall steadily as he dozed on.

A fond smile crept onto her face.

Although already a young adult, he still carried an air of innocence around him, just like the child she had known ten years ago. Even as he lay on the grass, he seemed very vulnerable, quite unlike the strong Dragon she had seen in battle.

It raised feelings of protectiveness in her.

_I wonder… is this how you felt each time you protected me…?_

That was how they stayed, until Ryu finally awoke. At first he glanced around sleepily, not quite remembering where he was… then he realised with a start and sat up abruptly.

“Oh no! I fell asleep!” Flustered, he leaped to his feet in a panic.

The princess giggled, pulling at his hand to make him sit again. “Calm down, Ryu, it’s only been two hours!”

His eyes grew wide in horror. “T-two hours?!”

“It’s not like we’re going to leave you behind when you sleep anyway!” She pulled at his hand again, grinning. “Now sit down and calm down!”

He obeyed, gazing at her with such a worried look that she laughed.

“Gosh, Ryu, don’t give me that silly look! You’re making me laugh!”

Her laughter was infectious, and soon Ryu began laughing as well.

“You find that funny? What about this?!” He scrunched his face with his hands.

Nina squealed with laughter.

They continued that way for a while, constantly making faces at each other and bursting into laughter that caused many pairs of eyes to turn in their direction. They were too wrapped up in their fun, however, to notice any of it.

After a few minutes, though, they eventually calmed down.

“Feeling better, Ryu?” the girl asked.

Ryu gave a nod. “Very much better. I haven’t had such a good laugh in a long time.” He smiled at her. “Nina, thank you.”

“Hm? What for?”

“All this about the Brood… and my past in this village…” He stared into the sky. “I felt like I couldn’t face anything at all, and I wanted to just run away…” He gazed at her, once again smiling. “You helped me to relax, you made me feel better. Now I feel like I can face them all over again.”

She returned the smile, putting a hand on his. “I’m glad, Ryu. You’ve always protected me before, so I’m glad I could help you somehow, even if it’s something as small as this.”

He shook his head slowly. “It’s not that small a thing, believe me.”

“I’m glad.” She paused for a while, as though thinking of something, and continued, “You know, Ryu…”

“What is it?”

“I know that you’re often sad about your family and everything, so I want you to know… I’ve always believed in you, that you’re not like the Dragons I’ve learned about, and…” She squeezed his hand lightly. “I care about you, so if you’re sad, or in pain, I want you to share it with me, okay?”

Uncertain, he asked, “Are you… sure…?”

She beamed. “I’m sure.”

Indecision flickered in his eyes, but after that he nodded, smiling. “Thank you, Nina.”

At that moment, the Guardian’s amused voice said, “If you two lovebirds are done… perhaps it is time to leave?”

At the statement, the two of them jumped up immediately, their faces flushed.

“W-what are you saying, Garr?!!” the young man exclaimed loudly.

“Garr! Stop joking!!” Nina cried, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment.

Garr laughed heartily, walking from the entrance of the pasture towards them. “So, Ryu, are you better now?”

Ryu nodded, stretching. “Definitely. I feel so refreshed after that short nap that I’m ready for anything.”

The winged girl beamed. “I’m glad.”

“But Garr…” He rubbed the back of his head. “What do we do now? I think the soldiers are still blocking the road.”

“Hm…” The winged man held his chin with one hand.

“Well, going to Angel Tower can wait,” Nina said. “Let’s focus on more urgent matters now, okay?”

Garr raised an eyebrow.

She shook her head. “Don’t give me that look! What if Syn City really IS the headquarters of that gang? We should go check it out!”

“B-but…” Ryu started.

She waved a finger at him. “No matter how hard we think about it, we’re not going to figure anything about the Brood out by just standing here! So we should take care of the business at hand – the investigation!”

“…um… I guess…” There seemed to be no use arguing with her; she seemed intent on finishing the investigation.

She grinned as she ushered them out of the cow pasture. “So let’s get going!”

Ryu and Garr glanced at each other – the princess certainly had grown more forceful over the years… so very different from her past naïve self.

“Oh yeah, by the way…” Nina turned towards them. “Don’t worry about McNeil. No matter how strong that tiger is, he won’t be able to break into the castle!”

The young man nodded, relieved. “That’s good news.”

She perked up. “Well, let’s go!”

As they left the cow pasture, however, they did not notice the shadow in a nearby tree.

The shadow of a large creature that darted to the ground, growling.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I named this chapter after the song that was played while meeting Rei at the burnt cabin in Cedar Woods. It’s so… sad. T_T
> 
> Oh, and I renamed Sin City as Syn City; apparently that was its original name in Japanese… if I’m not wrong, that is. Anyhow, Syn City looks better to me!
> 
> Also, hopefully Ryu’s emotional turmoil, the reunions and Ryu-Nina scene are good enough. And I hope it’s not out of character somehow. x_x


	20. Seventeen: Their Paths Converge

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Seventeen: Their Paths Converge**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

Syn City, where they arrived four days later, was a slum-like city in a large cave inside a small mountain. Lit windows were like still fireflies in the darkness, and dim lamps barely lit the road before them.

Ryu, however, immediately felt that something was wrong the moment he set foot in the city. There was a terrible stench in the air… something he had smelt before, though he had forgotten what.

“Do you feel that…” Nina looked around nervously. “…something’s not right?”

Garr’s expression hardened as he sniffed lightly. “That smell… it is blood.”

She gasped, her hands covering her mouth.

Ryu shook his head, gritting his teeth, but said nothing.

They stepped forward, mentally preparing themselves for what could be ahead… and found a figure lying on the ground.

To their horror, it was a dead man, his body covered in deep wounds, lying in a pool of his own blood.

But he was not the only one.

The whole street was covered with corpses.

Bleeding corpses, each with an expression of pure horror on their faces, as though they had died screaming.

A massacre.

All the trio could do for a moment was to stare in silent shock.

The young man soon snapped out of it. “N-no!” He immediately sped forward, fear striking his heart.

“Ryu?!” Nina exclaimed as she pursued him.

He stopped at the nearest body he found, putting a hand to the nose to tell if there was still breathing.

Nothing.

Gritting his teeth, he rushed to the next and did the same.

Several bodies. None of them alive.

Ryu grew more and more frantic and horrified, remorse etched deeply in his heart. Shaking his head disbelievingly, he found himself thinking, _Why didn’t I come sooner?!_

Then, he heard a weak groan from somewhere nearby. His heart hoping desperately that the person would still be alive, he hurried to where he heard it and found a wounded man in a dark robe, his face pale, his breathing shallow.

“Are you okay?” Ryu asked as he knelt, his hands glowing as he prepared a healing spell. “Hang on!”

“Ryu!” Nina called from a short distance away. “There’s someone still alive here!”

“I’m coming!” he shouted, glancing over a shoulder. “Garr, can you please bring this person somewhere warm?”

The Dragon-like man nodded and complied.

For the next hour or so, the three of them worked hard to save the survivors of the attack, with Nina searching, Ryu healing and Garr moving them to beds in a building that seemed like an inn. Those who were at least semi-conscious kept muttering about a tiger.

A weretiger.

Rei. The gentle, carefree yet dependable friend.

…behind this massacre?

Ryu’s heart pained.

_Rei… why…?_

“Ryu?” Nina stated, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Oh… right, sorry.” He knelt beside the survivor, unleashing yet another heal spell. The wound closed slowly, the blood no longer flowing out.

When he was done, Garr, upon returning from his last trip, lifted the survivor easily and made for the building once more.

“That’s the last one, Ryu,” the princess said, kneeling beside him.

“I see, that’s good.” Ryu sat against a wall and rubbed his eyes, a little weary.

Concerned, she asked. “Are you okay? That’s quite a lot of healing you did…”

He nodded, smiling slightly. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

Just then, Garr approached them, his heavy footsteps audible, his expression harsh. “I inquired around.”

“What happened here?” the azure-haired man asked.

“A tiger was behind this massacre, searching for the leader of this city.” He shook his head. “However, the leader has long fled towards the northern checkpoint.”

“A tiger…” Nina gasped again. “It has to be Rei! He must’ve given up on McNeil and came here!”

Ryu closed his eyes.

Garr nodded. “He still seeks solace for himself, for that time he had failed to protect.”

“But what’s the point of doing that now?” The princess shook her head quickly. “We have to go after him! We can’t let him kill the leader!”

“You’re right.” Ryu stood up, his eyes hard. “Friend or not, he has to stop this.”

 

* * *

 

Three hours later, just a short distance away from the large wooden gates of the western checkpoint, a large rotund man ran as fast as he could towards it. His green hair and beard a bright colour in the sunlight, his red robe dragging on the ground behind him, his breathing was ragged as he held tightly on to two heavy bags filled with money, which did nothing but slow his pace.

Suddenly, a shadow darted from a tree and landed behind him, its claws gleaming – the weretiger.

“What?!” he cried as he spun around. “It’s here already?!”

The creature growled as it transform into a golden-haired half-tiger. Fearing for his life, the large man continued to speed towards the checkpoint.

Rei’s eyes glowed with hatred and disgust; even while running for his life, this man still held on tightly to his beloved coins… his ill-made coins.

“You’re all the same… you care about nothing but money.”

He didn’t care about chasing the man, knowing that his speed was more than enough for this rotund man. He pulled out a throwing knife, twirling it, and flung it with great accuracy.

The dagger narrowly missed the green hair and stabbed the wooden gate.

“Argh!” the large man exclaimed and stopped, dropping his bags as he turned around. The expression on his face was no longer of fear, but of anger. “You! What do you think you’re doing?! Do you know who I am?!”

“Oh, I know who you are…” The half-tiger, glaring at him with harsh eyes, approached him slowly. “You’re the don of Syn City, the high and mighty Mikba, aren’t you?”

Mikba chuckled. “Well, then you know what will happen to you if you mess with me.” He smirked. “I’ll ignore what you’ve done to Syn City, as long as you stop your little game now…”

“Stop my game? Heh.” With a wry smile, Rei pulled out his main daggers from their sheaths and twirled them once. “That’s what your men said years ago, when they came to kill us… that our game had gone too far.” His eyes narrowed as he got into a battle stance. “But did they let us go? No, not at all…”

He took a step back in fright. “Y-you…!!”

“And sadly, I’m still a kid at heart…” Abruptly he sprang forward with lightning speed, snarling. “I just don’t know when to quit!!”

With all of his strength, he drove his blades into the heart of the don, his mind welcoming the scream of pain. The hard expression on his face remained even as he pulled the bloody weapons out, watching Mikba clutch at his chest, and he hatefully slashed him across the face.

Then he stopped, his ears perked up at the sound of footsteps, and glanced over his shoulder.

There was Ryu, with his two friends, arriving just in time to see the large figure of the don collapsing onto the ground.

“Stop!” the girl shouted as soon as she was near enough. “That’s enough!!”

Rei ignored her, lowering his blades. The hate ebbed away from him and his expression grew softer as he gazed upon his old friend. “Ryu… I thought you might show up.”

With a glance at the fallen body of the don, covered in blood, Ryu clenched his fists. “Rei… why?” His eyes flared. “Why did you have to kill so many people?!”

The half-tiger chuckled lightly, but there was no joy or amusement in his voice, only bitterness.

Of course Ryu would be angry. He had always been the nice one of the three, after all.

Another painful reminder of the happy past Rei could no longer regain.

“Why indeed…” He chuckled again. “If I had been as strong then as I am now, maybe I could’ve saved Teepo… then maybe we could’ve continued living peacefully…”

Ryu did not answer.

“But at the time, I never wanted to hurt anyone.” Rei shook his head, pain tearing at his heart. “That’s why I kept goofing off, playing robber…” Resentfully, he laughed. “I was afraid of my own strength…”

“Rei… I…” the azure-haired man began, and stopped. Panic washed over his face as he cried, “Rei! Watch out!!”

“What?” He spun around quickly.

But it was too late.

With one powerful swing, the blunt side of an axe slammed into him. There was an audible crack followed by a searing pain, and he was thrown across the ground. He crashed first into the side of a cliff, then the ground, filling his body with pain.

But more than the pain in his body, his heart was filled with despair.

His revenge… the only way he could make up to himself… ended just like that.

He laughed quietly, bitterly, even as darkness was beginning to shroud his mind.

_In the end… that’s all I am… a good-for-nothing…_

And his body went limp.

“REI!!” Ryu shouted, ready to run towards his friend, but Garr clasped a strong hand on his shoulder to stop him.

The fallen body of the don was no longer there, but a giant purple lizard-like creature in black armour, complete with red horns on its head. Great bat-like wings spread from its back, a long tail swished once behind it, and in its hands was a gigantic battle axe. A demonic mocking laughter came from him.

“Afraid to hurt people?!” Mikba’s boomed from the creature, a grin spreading on his face. “Don’t make me laugh! Our power has been given to us by the Goddess to use as we see fit! Use it to make you life better, just like I do!!”

Ryu straightened, unsheathing his sword, his cerulean blue eyes cold. “…a power to make your life better… but create suffering for others?”

“You’re Ryu, huh?” The monster cackled. “So you’re the punk who killed Balio and Sunder, aren’t you?! Good!” He swung its weapon in the air once. “I can tie up all the loose ends at once!!”

“Not a chance!” Nina cried, her wand glowing brightly as she raised it above her head. “Lightning!!”

With the crash of thunder, lightning bolts shot downwards from the sky, striking Mikba in a great flash of light, stunning him. Garr charged forward, his halberd ready to strike, but Mikba’s axe blocked the blade. They glared at each other, their strength equal in comparison. Then they both drew back and a great battle raged between them, their blades clashing repeatedly.

Knowing that the Guardian could keep their enemy busy for a while, Ryu rushed to the half-tiger’s side, his voice frantic. “Rei! Are you okay?!”

There was no response.

Kneeling beside Rei’s fallen body, he quickly summoned a wave of healing energy, surrounding both their bodies with light and circling sparkles. His healing spell would not heal the wound entirely, but as long as it could save him…

At first it seemed as though the spell had no effect, but within a few seconds, Rei stirred and groaned, opening his eyes. “Ugh, dammit…”

“Are you okay?” the younger of the two asked again, concerned.

“Yeah, I’m–” Then his eyes widened. “Watch out! Behind you!!”

Ryu spun around, his eyes wide as well.

A gigantic axe, its curved blade gleaming in the sun.

Falling towards him.

He had just enough time to dodge out of the way.

…and leave Rei behind? Rei, who had been hurt too badly to move, to be left behind in the path of the raging axe?

No.

He didn’t want another painful episode of the past to recur.

He unsheathed his sword and raised it above his head, supporting the blade with the other hand.

Even if he had insufficient strength to block the axe… he had to try.

He had to protect Rei.

Just as he had failed to protect him years ago.

Time seemed as though it had slowed down, as though each second passed was a whole minute. Ryu’s muscles stiffened painfully, as he prepared for the heavy strike…

Then, he felt warmth within him.

He was surprised.

_S-Sara…?_

“ _A true Dragon,”_ her serenely voice spoke.

The warmed in his body shifted, as though she was guiding him. He turned around, facing Rei, who had his eyes glued to the blade.

Time had stopped.

Giving him a chance to protect.

The warmth within him shifted once more, accumulating in his hand.

_You… want me to touch him…?_

Sara’s spirit resonated.

Confused, he obliged. He raised a hand to touch Rei’s arm.

Rei’s fur-covered arm was warm to the touch.

For a moment, nothing happened. Ryu felt his fingers tingling, but that was it.

_Sara…? What–_

Then, power exploded from within him.

Burning energy shot through his veins, filling his body with intense heat. It circulated once, spreading to every inch of his veins, then shot through his arm and into Rei.

Rei screamed, writhing.

And the burning power surged back into Ryu, circling inside him once more.

Repeating the cycle again. And again.

Followed by a blinding light.

Followed by the loud sound of the axe striking the ground, creating a large crack.

Ryu and Rei were gone.

“What?!” Mikba exclaimed, turning around in search of his targets.

And froze.

Behind him was a huge tiger, easily the biggest he had seen; its shoulders were at least five feet from the ground, even with all four of its paws were firmly placed on the ground. Its fur was the strong colour of blood, covered in black stripes at regular intervals, and its tail, a lizard-like tail, swished behind it. A pair of horns pointed to the front from the top of its head, like a bull’s.

Great golden wings, bat-like wings, spread from its shoulder blades.

Golden claws extended from its paws.

And its eyes, furious golden ones, glared at Mikba.

Golden eyes filled with Ryu’s strong desire to protect.

Golden eyes filled with Rei’s anguish over a loss caused by the failure to protect.

The power of a Dragon, combined with the power of a weretiger.

The Crimson Tiger.

Nina gasped. Even Garr was unable to take his eyes off the blood colour of its fur.

Mikba, although shaken by the sudden appearance of this creature, pulled his axe from the ground and attempted to strike at it.

And the blade struck the ground once more, creating another crack.

The Crimson Tiger stood beside where the axe had hit, just out of range of the strike.

No one had seen it move.

Suddenly, the blood red fur on the Tiger bristled. It snarled as it crouched, as though ready to leap, and electric sparks, as golden as its wings, circled around him like a furious whirlwind. The shocking effects of the intense electricity could be felt even a few feet away, where Nina and Garr stood.

Abruptly gripped by fear, Mikba gave a cry and turned to escape from this bizarre creature.

The Crimson Tiger roared, sending a blinding pillar of lightning into the sky, which then rained down on him.

Screams filled the air as Mikba convulsed, the electricity surging through his veins.

And, seconds later, the huge body of the don collapsed onto the ground, the sharp smell of char filled the air.

For a while, nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. The atmosphere was thick with the feeling of shock, with stunned silence.

Then, the Crimson Tiger was covered in a soft light, hiding all of its features. The light then divided into two, from which two figures fell onto a sitting position on the ground.

The light faded away, leaving Ryu and Rei looking dazed.

“Ryu!” Nina shouted, running to his side.

“Ugh…” Ryu groaned, shaking his head.

“What was that?!” Rei yelled and jumped onto his feet, nearly losing his balance from the dizziness. “Ryu?!”

Before Ryu could answer, however, their attention was quickly distracted by a deep groan from Mikba. Preparing for a continuation of the battle, they approached slowly, their weapons raised… but they could see that he was already beginning to revert to his human form. He remained on the ground, unable to move his limbs, breathing hard from the electric shock as he glared. With him this vulnerable, there was plenty of time for anyone to finish him once and for all… but no one made a move.

“W-what?!” the don cried, his eyes on Ryu. “Why won’t you kill me?!”

Ryu said nothing, his hand gripping his blade.

Mikba laughed loudly. “You fool! You have the strength, yet you can’t kill?! What a joke!!”

“Ryu, if you don’t kill him now…” Rei shook his head, his eyes harsh. “He’ll just come back later and try to kill you instead.”

Ryu shook his head slowly. “…no one has the right to take the life of another.”

He approached him, his tiger tail swishing behind him. “Not even when he tries to kill you?”

“No, not even that.”

“…well, if you’re not going to kill him…” Rei drew out his daggers once more and snarled. “Then I will! That’s what I came for!!”

He gasped, shocked. “Rei! NO!!”

With great speed and a loud yell, the half-tiger pounced onto Mikba with such speed that no one had the time to stop him. He raised his dual blades and stabbed both into the chest with all of his remaining strength. His target screamed in pain, his voice echoing loudly along the peak of the nearby mountains, and he coughed blood onto his already bleeding chest.

“H-happy now, you f-freak tiger?!” he spluttered, blood sliding from the corner of his mouth. “This i-is what your power’s for… t-to get rid of those who g-get in your way!!” He grinned. “Heh heh heh… too bad, but it l-looks like the people y-you’re looking for… Balio and Sunder… have already been k-killed by that brat over there… heh heh… ugh!!”

He was suddenly overtaken by a coughing fit, vomiting even more blood. His eyes bloodshot, he raised a shaky, bloody arm to the sky, reaching out for the sun as though seeking salvation.

And it fell heavily to his side.

He was dead.

Nina inhaled sharply and covered her eyes, shaking her head. “No…”

Garr closed his eyes.

Rei shook his head disbelievingly, the daggers falling from his hands. “…the ones I’ve been looking for all those years… dead already…?” He grabbed his old friend by the shoulders, shaking him lightly. “Tell me!! When did you kill them?!!”

“…I…” Ryu focused his gaze on the ground, his eyes dull with despair.

The winged man crossed his arms. “Balio and Sunder fell into Maekyss River ten years ago, and no one has seen them since.” He gazed intently at Rei. “Ryu killed them not, nor did he try to avenge you. He firmly believed you were alive and searched endlessly for you.”

“…I see…” The half-tiger suddenly laughed, releasing his hold on his old friend, and gazed into the sky that was gradually growing orange. Then, as he calmed down, despair glinted in his eyes. “What… have I been doing then… all these years…? Does it even mean anything, Ryu…?” He shook his head, closing his eyes. “Even now, without your help, I probably wouldn’t have won…”

“Rei…” Ryu sighed softly. “Even if Balio and Sunder were alive, there’s no point in killing them for revenge… it wouldn’t bring Teepo back…”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right…”

They lapsed into silence once again, not looking at each other.

Garr strode off, preparing to bury the dead body that lay in their midst.

 

* * *

 

“The power of the Brood…?” Rei muttered.

They were all gathered around the campfire after dinner that night, and Nina and Garr had told the half-tiger about what had happened so far – from the time the princess met Ryu in the prison of Wyndia Castle until their reunion in McNeil Village.

“You’re saying he’s one of those Dragons… the ones who tried to destroy the world five hundred years ago?” Rei shook his head. “Geez… I never thought that something like this could happen…”

“It does take some time to take it in, I know…” Nina admitted.

He shrugged. “Well, it’s not like I don’t believe you… I mean, I’ve experienced it firsthand myself, whatever it is!”

Ryu closed his eyes, feeling Sara’s warmth inside him. “It’s a power I gained inside Dauna Mine… only now I understand what her Dragon form is.” He looked up slowly, his eyes focused on Rei. “This Dragon form – the Hybrid Dragon – fuses one other person with me, and its power and appearance changes with different people.”

“That is why the Dragon form was a tiger…” Garr crossed his arms. “After all, Rei is but of the tigers.”

Rei shook his head and faced the azure-haired man, determination showing on his face. “What do you say, Ryu? Why don’t you and I go get them…” He stood up, his eyes glowing. “…go get those folks in McNeil Village for what they did to us? With your power, we’ll kill them in no time!!”

Ryu looked up in shock. “W-what?!”

“No!” Nina cried, standing up as well as she glared. “I won’t let you do it!!”

To everyone’s surprise, Rei chuckled in amusement at their reaction. “Don’t worry, I was just kidding… ever since Ryu beat me on Ogre Road, I realised I wouldn’t be able to even the score…” Sitting down once more, he sighed softly. “I thought that if I used my power to change into a tiger, I’d be stronger than anything else… but…” He focused on his hand sadly. “In the end, I wasn’t even able to control my own power… all I did was to run around attacking anything that moves…”

“True power lies not in inflicting pain,” the Guardian stated, shaking his head. “If that is all the power of the Dragonkin is based upon… then I would have hesitated not in annihilating them.”

Ryu shivered slightly as he recalled the skeletons of the dead Dragons deep inside Angel Tower.

“The Dragons fought a war and almost destroyed the world…” The half-tiger thought deeply. “Their power is the power Mikba was talking about, isn’t it? The same power he and I have?”

“I believe so.” Garr fed another log to the campfire. “The same power of death and destruction… yet on a magnitude far beyond yours or his. You have seen the power yourself while you were fused with Ryu.”

At that moment, Nina raised her voice and interrupted him. “How many times do I have to tell you, Garr?! Ryu’s not going to destroy the world or anything of the sort!”

He nodded, smiling slightly. “Worry not, I believe it no longer. That is why…” His eyes dimmed with remorse. “…that is why I wish to ask the Goddess… why we Guardians were tasked to destroy the Brood…”

“Why… why is there such power…” Rei gazed into the fire. “…such dangerous power in the world…?”

“As only Ryu now breathes among the Dragonkin…” Garr turned his head towards the dark night sky. “…the only one with the answer… is our Goddess.”

“So that’s why you want to go and meet her? You don’t joke around, do you?” He shook his fist. “Hell, I’ve got a few questions of my own! Like why do people like Mikba and me have our powers?!”

Ryu was startled. “W-wait, you mean you’re coming along?”

“What? Leave you alone now that we’re together again?” Rei grinned. “I’ve got to make sure my little brother doesn’t get into trouble, you know!”

“Little brother…” He chuckled, smiling now. “It’s good to be with you again, Rei.”

 

* * *

 

Once more they set out for the Yrall region, this time together with Rei. It took three days to return to McNeil village and another three days to climb Mt. Myrneg towards the City of Winds.

One night after they had descended from Mt. Myrneg, Nina found herself waking up in the dark, unable to sleep. She sat up, rubbing her eyes lightly and stretching her short wings, and then gazed at Ryu, fast asleep on his side in his bedroll. If it weren’t for the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, one might even thought that he was dead, but the look on his face was peaceful, as though he did not have a care for the world.

It brought a smile to her face.

She wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her head on her knees as she watched him.

_Ryu… you’re always so strong, so kind, always thinking of others before yourself… but I know you’re sad, because I can see it in your eyes… those gentle blue eyes that seem so easily hurt…_

She ran a hand gently over his forehead, brushing the hair from his eyes, though she seemed only mildly conscious of doing it.

“Ryu…” she whispered under her breath. “I’m glad you could sleep peacefully like this…”

Just then, she heard a sound from outside, as though something landed heavily on the ground. Cautiously, she grabbed her wand and took a peek outside, a glowing spell ready at hand in case of attacking monsters, but to her relief, it was only Rei, who had jumped down from a nearby tree.

“Rei?” She shook her head, relaxing, and stepped outside. “What’re you doing up this late?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” the half-tiger replied, shrugging, then grinned. “The same reason why you’re up, huh?”

She smiled embarrassedly. “Yes, I don’t like nights like this…”

He sat at the remains of the campfire, lighting it again. “Why don’t we just chat for a while until we feel like sleeping? No sense wasting the night away with boredom.”

She nodded and sat down, though for a long time both of them stayed in a rather awkward silence, not knowing quite what to say each other.

It was Nina who spoke up first. “Rei, I’ve been curious…” She hesitated for a moment. “How did you meet Ryu and Teepo?”

“Them? Hm…” He thought for a moment, remembering as his tail swished to and fro. “Well, I met Teepo two years or so before I met Ryu, on Yraall Road.” He shook his head, an amused grin on his face. “Heh, I never thought the mistake I made that day would earn me a companion.”

 

* * *

 

“ _Great, doesn’t this just beat all?,” Rei muttered to himself, shaking his head as he watched the small boy with long purple hair before him, dressed in rags that stood out in the late afternoon sun._

_What he had attacked was supposed to be a merchant travelling with his son. He had judged that since the overweighed man had a child with him, it would make the thief’s job much easier, and that if he could surprise them, they would probably run and leave the money behind._

_And the man certainly did run away._

_Leaving behind the boy, who now stood there with an extremely bored look on his defiant face._

_While they had appeared to be a merchant and his child travelling together, the boy had actually been the merchandise; the man was a slave trader, and upon being taken by surprise by the robbery, he fled and left behind what he had intended to sell._

_When Rei finally realised what had happened, he tried to make a hasty exit, the boy made a grab for his vest. His crimson eyes, though arrogant, had a gleam of innocence and helplessness, which seemed to be begging for help. Even when Rei had freed his vest and headed back towards his home, the footsteps of little bare feet followed right behind him._

_He sighed, finally accepting the fact that there was probably no one other than him who could help this child._

“ _So, what’s your name?” he asked, turning around to face him._

_The violet-haired boy looked up at him, grinning happily. “Teepo.”_

 

* * *

 

“Wow,” was the princess’ reaction. “I never thought Teepo used to be a slave…”

“Me neither, I seriously thought they were father and son… I guess everyone makes mistakes sometimes.” Rei rubbed the back of his head. “As for Ryu, well… I just found him unconscious in the woods one day, and I brought him back to where Teepo and I lived.”

“I see.” She gazed into the fire. “I wonder if Ryu’s been really happy living with you two, now he just seems… sad.”

He nodded, tossing a log into the campfire. “Well, personality-wise, he’s hardly changed at all. Still quiet, still calm…” He grinned. “Still a goody-two-shoes!”

She giggled, raising her wand in mock anger. “How mean of you to say that about him!”

He held his hands up in defence. “Hey, I’m just kidding!”

Both of them laughed.

“Well, you’ve seen how Ryu refuses to kill, right?” the half-tiger continued. “He’s always been the one who keeps telling us not to steal, not to do bad things… stuff like that. It’s just how he is.”

She smiled. “He’s a good person, nothing at all like what we’ve learned about Dragons…”

“You’ve said it. He hasn’t changed all that much, except… well…” He sat up straight, grinning. “He can fight pretty well with that sword now, but in the past, I had to teach him how to even hold the sword. And the way he used to swing his sword…” He laughed. “Man, that was the joke of the year!”

She felt curious now. “Why? How did he swing his sword then?”

“Like this!” He turned his head back, covered his eyes with one hand and madly swung the other arm in front of him.

She burst into a high laughter. “Gosh! I never thought he was like that!”

Grinning, he sat up straight again. “Funny, isn’t it? Of course, I daren’t tease him about it now; he’d throw me into a river with his strength!”

“No, he wouldn’t do that!” She smiled. “He’s always so kind.”

He gazed at her. “You really trust him that much…” His face broke into a cheeky, knowing smile. “You like him, don’t you?”

“W-what?!” A bright shade of red washed over her face. “W-what made you s-say that?!”

“Aw, c’mon, you don’t have to hide it!” He slapped her lightly on the back. “I’ve seen that dopey look on your face while we travel!”

“Y-you’re imagining things!” Completely red, she abruptly stood up, her body all tensed up. “I-I’m going to sleep!” With that, she strode back into the tent, the two ribbon-like plumes trailing behind her.

Rei had a good laugh by the fire, slapping his knee.

“I wonder when he’ll finally realise she really likes him,” he mused, grinning as he tossed another log into the fire. “I don’t really think he’s actually observant about this kind of things…”

Certainly, he wasn’t.

 

* * *

 

“You need to use the eastern bridge, right?” Nina asked the next morning, as they walked along the junction of Eygnock Road, just south of the city.

The Guardian nodded. “Yes, to Angel Tower once again. Crossing the border shall trouble me not as I have recently acquired a passport of my own, but we have naught of a choice but to acquire a new one for everyone else…”

“That’ll be a bit of a problem…” Her eyes narrowed with guilt. “My parents think it’s your fault I ran away the last time, Ryu.”

Ryu was startled. “H-huh? But I didn’t kidnap you or anything…”

“Yeah, I told them that, but…” She sighed. “Mother wouldn’t listen, and Daddy doesn’t look like he believes me either…”

“Sounds like family troubles.” Rei rubbed the back of his head. “So what do we do now?”

The princess perked up. “But I have an idea!” She turned towards the blue-haired man. “Ryu, you broke up the black market mafia, right?” She beamed. “All you need is one more feather in your cap, and even they’ll have to admit you’re a real hero!”

“Uh…” Ryu shook his head doubtfully. “That sounds a little farfetched…”

“Agreed.” Garr crossed his arms. “Though I long to hear, what of this _heroic_ deed he is to do?”

Nina pointed towards the south, where the metal buildings of the plant stood. “You know there’s a plant over there, where they grow the vegetables using chrysm energy?”

The young man blinked. “Hey, isn’t that the plant Momo’s father built?”

“What about it?” the half-tiger asked.

“It seems there’s something funny going on there lately…” The winged girl shook her head. “I’ve been thinking about checking it out, so why don’t you come with me?”

“Why not?” Ryu said. “It’s not like we’re going anywhere for a while, anyway.”

She beamed. “Great! Let’s go!”

 

* * *

 

The plant, just like McNeil village, had not changed at all ever since Ryu was there last. There were still large reactors with glowing chrysm ores placed at various locations all over the place, and there were still those vegetables growing in tilled soil, some in greenhouses and some in the open air, with hired farmers looking after them.

However, even Rei, who knew little about plants, could tell that the plants looked rather disfigured and discoloured.

“Funny little place,” he commented, looking about. “Are you sure these things are safe to eat?”

“I don’t know,” Ryu admitted. “We didn’t think so the last time we were here… they look worse this time, though.”

The four of them soon found Momo, who was so focused on repairing a chrysm reactor that she didn’t hear anything around her. Ryu recognised her from her plaited fiery-red hair, white rabbit-like ears spreading from the sides of her head, and blue robes topped with a professor’s hat on her head. This time, however, her face was shaped more maturely, just like Rei’s. Honey, who was running about on a nearby vegetable field, caught sight of them, turned and ran to her mistress’s side, tugging at the hem of her robe.

“Hm… this reactor doesn’t have enough pressure,” Momo muttered to herself, readjusting her small glasses. “If we don’t get the valve turned up soon…”

Honey tugged harder, trying to get her attention.

She looked down at her, apparently realising her for the first time. “Huh? What is it, Honey?”

She pointed at the large group gathered behind her, attempting to tell her that her friends had arrived.

A look of realisation washed over her face. “Oh, right, the parts I asked for…” She gestured towards an empty spot on the ground without turning. “Just put them down over there, I don’t need them yet.”

Exasperated, Honey tugged even harder.

She straightened. “What is it, Honey? I can’t play with you right now… huh?” It was only then when she looked up at them. “Who’re these people, Honey? Friends of yours?”

The robot doll slapped her forehead.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten us already, Momo!” Nina cried, shaking her head.

“Nina? Garr? And…” She stared at Ryu blankly.

Ryu sighed – apparently Momo had not changed at all, since she still seemed as absent-minded as ever.

“I’m Ryu,” he told her. “You know, the boy who could turn into a Dragon?”

The red-haired woman gave an abrupt squeal. “What?! Ryu?!!” Her ears perked up. “Ryu! Is it really you?! It’s been so long!!”

He smiled. “It’s great to see you again too, Momo.”

She grinned. “You’ve gotten really big, Ryu! You’re even taller than me now! How long has it been since then?!”

“I’ve been told it’s been ten years…” He shook his head. “I’m not sure though.”

“I see, well, I’m still really glad to see you alive and well!” She gestured to the chrysm reactor. “But I’ve got to finish fixing this first, do you mind waiting in that big metal building near the entrance?”

Nina nodded. “Okay, we’ll wait there. Make sure you don’t forget!”

“I won’t! I promise!”

As they walked away, Rei asked, “Uh, is that really who we’re looking for?” He rubbed the back of his head doubtfully. “I’m not sure she’s reliable…”

“I heard that!” Momo’s voice shouted from behind them.

“Sorry!” But he didn’t sound apologetic at all.

“Cats should be lying in a corner and not be heard!”

“Hey!!” He spun around. “Rabbits should hide in a hole and not be seen!!”

“Whaaaaaaaat?!”

And so began a great bickering.

Ryu watched, amused, then realised a moment later that, coincidentally, Momo and Rei were both around the same age.

_This will be interesting…_

 

* * *

 

“Hm…” Momo appeared thoughtful after listening to her companions’ story in a closed guest’s room at the plant. “So Garr tries to kill Ryu because he thought he was an evil Dragon, but now he doesn’t know if the Brood are really evil or not, so you’re all going to meet the Goddess to ask?”

It sounded terribly simple coming from the engineer’s mouth, but Ryu nodded anyway. “That pretty much sums it up.”

Embarrassed, she shook her head. “Sorry, I really don’t know much about Dragons. All I know about them are from very limited studies, and I can only really understand machines…”

“Worry not.” Garr crossed his arms. “I believe none of us truly understands at the moment.”

Nina shook her head. “There’s no point in pondering about that now, we came here for one reason, didn’t we? Momo, can you tell us about the plant? What’s wrong with it?”

The engineer realised with a start. “Oh yeah! Hey, listen! The director Palet is missing and the plant’s falling apart! It’s so bad that failed crops are the least of our problems!” She shook her head quickly. “If we don’t do something soon, something awful could happen!”

Rei rubbed the back of his head. “That doesn’t sound good…”

“Mutants appearing, chrysm reactor overload… just about anything could happen!” She shook her head again, looking worried. “The only one who knows what’s really going on is Palet, and we don’t know where he is…”

“Well, in that case…” The winged girl straightened, placing her hands on her hips. “We’ll just have to find him and ask him about it!”

“I guess.” She shrugged. “He sometimes disappears for a while, but I’ve heard he never goes too far.”

“You mean, you might know where he is?” She nodded. “Let’s go look for him then!”

“Okay!” She knelt down and called out to the robot doll. “Here, Honey, let’s go!”

Honey immediately went onto her palm and was placed on her usual spot on the shoulder.

“Say,” Ryu started as they left the building. “Where’s Peco?”

“Peco? Well…” Momo gestured towards the east. “Over there, there’s a place where there’s a tree called Yggdrasil.”

He felt startled. _Yggdrasil! I forgot about him, maybe he’ll answer my questions this time!_

“Lately Peco’s been spending all his time there,” she continued, not noticing his reaction. “He’s always there playing by the old tree, though I don’t know why… maybe because he’s an onion and Yggdrasil really is the legendary tree?”

Nina thought for a moment. “He was born here, so maybe he’ll know something?”

The Guardian stretched his wings. “Shall we go?”

The others nodded and left the vicinity, heading towards the small grove to the east.

 

* * *

 

_Yggdrasil, a legendary tree_  
The embodiment of an ancient sage  
From a time of a distant age  
No longer written on a page

  _Yggdrasil, an all-knowing tree_  
Teaching the whole world  
The meaning of true wisdom  
Older than even chrysm

  _Yggdrasil, a magnificent tree_  
Among the emerald sea  
Awing all who see  
Its grand majesty

  _Yggdrasil, a sacred tree_  
The holy guardian of the forest  
A symbol of faith to us…

 

Ryu stared at the great trunk of the ancient tree as he walked, the song playing itself in his mind.

_That’s a song you sang to me, Sara… Yggdrasil’s song…_

He shook his head, stopping himself.

_No, I’m getting those thoughts again… why, though? I’m pretty sure I’ve never stayed in a village with a sister… yet the feeling is so strong…_

He placed a hand on his chest, remembering the warmth he had felt after battling the Dragon zombie in the Dauna mine, and before fusing with Rei to become the Crimson Tiger.

The warmth from Sara, who had become his protector.

“This is the place,” Momo’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “This is where Peco likes to hang out.”

“ _Welcome, friends,”_ a wheezy voice said.

Nina looked around, surprised. “…hey, did you hear that voice?”

Garr nodded. “I, too, heard it.”

“So did I,” the half-tiger joined in.

“Me too,” Ryu stated. _It’s probably Yggdrasil… but the last time, I was the only one who could hear him._

“I didn’t hear anything.” Momo shrugged. “Maybe it’s just the wind?”

“Or maybe it’s just you?” Rei suggested, his tail swishing.

She scowled. “Oh, be quiet! What do you know?”

He growled. “I know more than you for sure!”

She straightened, trying to match his height. “Oh yeah?!”

“Yeah!”

Ryu, Nina and Garr glanced at each other; it certainly seemed their journey had livened up with these two together.

A little further into the small grove, the trees parted to form a large clearing, with a beam of light shining down on the grass. Yggdrasil stood magnificently in the light, his leaves spreading confidently at his sides. At the base of his trunk, Peco sat quietly, staring at the tree.

“…pukyu…” the onion murmured, not unlike a sentimental old man in contemplation.

“Peco?” Nina called, breaking the argument between Momo and Rei. “Is this where you’ve been all this while?”

Peco turned slowly, gazing at his past companions. He seemed quite unlike himself today, for he was usually either bouncing about in mad excitement or sleeping.

“Hey, Peco.” Momo knelt beside him, patting his head. “Did you say anything earlier? Everyone said they heard a voice.”

He appeared puzzled as he glanced at them. “Pui?”

She sighed, shaking her head. “I can understand him just as much as I understand a tree or a flower… and they don’t talk!” She straightened. “Oh well. Anyway, come on, Peco! We’re going to check out the plant where you were born!”

“Pukyu!” he cried, jumping up and down as he usually did.

The princess beamed. “Great! Now we’re all together again!”

Rei rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. “Geez, you sure have weird friends, Ryu… I mean, a talking, bouncing onion?”

Everyone shrugged and turned to leave, except for Ryu, who gazed up at Yggdrasil. He had wanted to ask the ancient tree about various things, ask him about his heritage… but now that he was here, he hesitated, unable to voice out his questions.

“ _Ah, Ryu, you have returned.”_ Yggdrasil’s old voice wheezed. _“You are looking very much like your usual self now.”_

“Yggdrasil… I…” He shook his head slowly, fixing his eyes on the ground. “You said before that I was too young to know things, but now… I’m older now…” _Even if I don’t remember what I did in the last ten years…_

“ _Yes, you are now old enough to learn the truth. However…”_ The trees rustled in the wind, as though whispering a message. _“To learn the truth, first you must seek out Lady Deis, for she is the one who truly knows you.”_

“Lady… Deis…?” He winced as a pain shot through his head, the image of a woman with flowing long blue hair flashed across his mind.

“ _She will tell you all you want to know, things that I am unable to explain.”_

“I see…” He felt disappointed once again for not receiving answers, but he was not completely overwhelmed by despair; at least he had a lead now. Raising his head to face the tree, he spoke again, “Thank you, Yggdrasil.”

“ _Do be careful, young Ryu… I fear that this time it may be more dangerous than before.”_

Though confused, he nodded his head. “I-I will.”

“Yo, Ryu!” Rei’s voice shouted from behind him. “What’s wrong? Everyone’s waiting for you!”

The younger man turned to face his half-tiger friend, smiling sheepishly. “Oh, sorry about that. I’m coming.”

Just as both of them left, Yggdrasil thought deeply, his wheezing voice muttering to himself.

“ _Lord Ladon… why would you not face him…? Why would you not tell him everything…?”_

Only the rustling of the forest leaves in the wind replied him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To tell you the truth, how Rei first met Teepo wasn’t my idea, it’s actually from Capcom’s official site! Well, except I can’t read Japanese (I recognise some characters, but not enough to actually know the words), so I read a translation of it at Dragon-Tear (dot) net under “Translations”! I never knew that’s how they met. O_o
> 
> Also, don’t worry about how bad that song / poem on Yggdrasil is… all I did was to make it rhyme (sort of). Let it be known to all that I’m bad with poems!
> 
> And here, we see the first bit of bickering between Momo and Rei! Both of them are such good friends. xP


	21. Eighteen: Momo’s Plight

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Eighteen: Momo’s Plight**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

“Oh my god!” one man exclaimed. “Chrysm gasses are filling up the greenhouses!!”

“Run for your life!!” another yelled.

“This plant’s finished!!” a third man shouted.

Chaos met the group when they returned to the plant. Screams and cries filled the air as workers and scientists fled the vicinity, almost overrunning the six on their hasty way out. Nina screamed and Momo gasped as people bumped into them and nearly made them fall over. Peco squealed as feet thundered past him, shivering between the girls’ legs as Honey held onto his head. Ryu and Rei stood between the crowd and the girls, hoping to protect them and the onion, but they were ignored as though they were rocks on the road. Garr, however, solved the problem by standing at the front of the group; his massive size steered people away from them, causing the stream of running crowd to be divided into two.

Before long, the plant compound became completely empty, and an eerie silence filled the air.

“What on earth happened?” Ryu asked no one in particular.

“I don’t know, but…” Momo shook her head, worried. “I think things have just gotten worse.”

With a nod at each other, they parted ways in to investigate the cause of the chaos, with Peco tagging behind the engineer. Momo, her eyes focused on her surroundings, knew from a quick glance that the chrysm reactors had ceased functioning. Dangerous green gas filled the greenhouses, poisoning the plants inside, and that was the cause of the chaos.

Dangerous chrysm gas. Something that should not have happened at her father’s plant.

She stopped at the top of a high ledge, shaking her head in despair.

Her father was a genius… there was no way he would have overlooked this.

So why? Why was her father’s last project, the one he had died before seeing completion, in such ruins now?

And why… why was there not a single thing she could do to protect her father’s project?

“Pui…” Peco muttered, gazing at her in concern.

Then, all of a sudden, a loud rumble filled the air and the ground began to shake furiously, as though it was trying to throw people off its back. Momo gave a cry as she balanced herself, waving her arms frantically, but she did not have to do that for long. Almost as suddenly as it had started, the ground slowed to a stop, leaving her confused.

What was happening now?

Momo searched around the plant, seeking for the source of the tremor, and as soon as she set her eyes on the chimney of the largest building, she gasped in shock.

The smoke from the furnace of the building, usually white and harmless, had turned into the brightest shade of green.

The same poisonous gas as in the greenhouse.

Her heart turned cold, she quickly sped in the direction of the aforementioned building – to emit that much of chrysm gas, something had definitely gone wrong in there!

She arrived outside the door of the building, only to find that her companions had already gathered there with puzzled expressions.

“Momo!” the princess called. “What’s wrong with the furnace?!”

“I don’t know!” Momo cried, flustered. “I didn’t even know that this place uses so much chrysm gas!”

Garr looked grim. “Nevertheless, we will have to evacuate quickly as well.”

The engineer stopped.

_Abandon… my father’s plant…?_

Rei shook his head. “C’mon! Do you want to turn into green-smoked rabbit?!”

“I…” She hesitated, then strengthened her resolve. “No, I’m not leaving my father’s plant like this. I’m going to stay here and solve the problem with my own hands!”

It was at that moment when Peco’s shout came from inside the building. “Pukyu!!”

Wondering if the onion had found anything, the others entered the building, only to find him jumping up and down madly in front of the hatch of the furnace.

“What’s wrong, Peco?” Momo asked, kneeling down beside him.

“Pukyu pukyu pukyu KYU!!” he cried excitedly as he bounced.

“You want me to look inside?” She opened the hatch and gazed inside, then gave a shriek. “Hey! There’s a ladder in here!!”

“A ladder? In a furnace?!” Curious, Rei knelt down as well. “Hey, she’s right! There IS a ladder going down!”

“But why?” Nina wondered. “Why a ladder in a furnace?”

“To hide something in there?” Ryu suggested.

“Of course, maybe that’s where the director is!” Momo got to her feet, determined. “I’m going in!” _It’s my father’s plant after all! I have to check it out!_

“I expected that.” Garr crossed his arms. “However, you are not going alone.”

“Yeah, we’re coming along!” the winged girl declared.

“H-huh? But…” The engineer trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

The young man smiled. “We’re your friends, do you think we’ll let you go on your own?”

“Pui pui!” Peco added.

Rei grinned. “Who knows what’ll happen if you’re alone in there? You’ll burn the place down!”

Momo threw a sharp look at Rei at first, but soon smiled with gratitude. “Great! Let’s all go together then!”

She certainly had great friends.

 

* * *

 

At the bottom of the ladder was a place beyond their wildest dreams – metal hallways stretched as far as eyes could see, uncovered wirings showed in the wall as though they were painting on display, and metal ducts twisted and turned above them. Although Momo loved machines, even she had never seen such a technologically advanced place such as this before.

“Wow, look at this!” she breathed, her eyes gleaming.

“A place like this under the furnace…” The half-tiger swished his tail as he thought. “Isn’t this weird?”

Nina shook her head. “Suspicious is more like it…”

Ryu nodded. “I agree.”

“Is it part of the plant? Or is it the director’s secret research lab?” Momo wondered to herself, examining the machinery and wirings in the wall. “But then this machine… it’s very impressive, much more advanced than the ones we use in the plant…” Gazing at the metal ducts above, she continued muttering to herself. “I wonder if the director built it all by himself… or if there was another engineer…”

Upon saying that, she froze.

_Another engineer? Could it be…?!_

“Is something wrong?” Garr inquired, interrupting her thoughts.

She turned, quickly shaking her head. “Oh, n-no, there isn’t…” She grinned in an attempt to mask her nervousness. “C’mon! Let’s take a look around!” And she strode enthusiastically down one hall, with the others reluctantly following.

Upon walking along that hall, however, they came across a dead end, with a metal door at the end with number one painted on it in red. Since there was nothing they could do to open it, they went down the other hallway, gradually arriving at a similar metal door that slid open swiftly the moment they approached.

Inside, there were four similar in the room, set upon two long metal desks. Each of these machines consisted of a screen on a large metal box and numerous buttons on a metal board.

“Hey, I know what this is!” Momo squealed, running towards the nearest one. “This is a relic from the Techno Age, something they call a ‘computer’!”

“…well…” Rei started, scratching his head uncertainly, not as excited. “So what exactly is a _‘con-pee-you-tear’_?”

She turned around, gesturing on the number one that was shown on the glowing screen of one machine. “You see that this number is the same as the one on the door earlier, right? In other words…” Her eyes shone. “This is a key! A key from the Techno Age!”

“Um… okay…” Ryu shook his head. “And how do we open the locked doors with this?”

“Easy!” She waved a hand in the air. “We’ll just have to input the password here, and the doors with the same number will open!”

“That sounds easy to understand, but…” Nina shook her head. “We don’t have the password, do we?”

Momo realised it with a start. “Oh yeah! I forgot…”

Honey, who was on her shoulder, slapped her forehead for the second time of the day.

“But then again…” She thought for a while. “Usually people use something like a… um, a friend’s name or whatever for their password.” She faced the screen again, pressing the corresponding keys in front of the board. “Like, P-A-L-E-T or something…” Once she had keyed in the name, however, she stopped to think again. “…maybe it’s a little too obvious?”

Her companions gave a collective nod in agreement, but then suddenly, they heard a loud beep from the computer and a metallic voice.

“Password accepted. Opening all doors marked number one.”

Everyone blinked.

“I… I don’t believe it!” Momo exclaimed. “It actually opened!”

Rei shook his head. “Doesn’t this beat all? Talk about high security…”

“Well, now we’re getting somewhere!” She grinned excitedly. “C’mon! Let’s go!”

Now that the door labelled one was open, they headed through and emerged in another hall, this time with three doors that were marked with number one, two and three respectively, but since only door one was open, they headed there and emerged in an office. Three bookshelves stood against a wall and a large desk stood on the opposite end of the room, where its top was littered with scattered papers and books.

“Hm…” Momo went over to the table, picking up a book. The moment she read the words on its first page, however, she gasped.

It was her father’s journal.

_Why would his book be… in here…?_

Curious, she flipped through the pages and read some of the entries.

“ _July thirteenth. I am beginning to lose faith in this project, and in myself. Despite looking forward to the outcome, one that I hope to see, I am beginning to think that this is a mistake, something that is not meant to be. But now that I have come this far, I cannot just halt everything…”_

“ _September seventh. Lately I have been feeling weak and often end up being bedridden for days. But it gave me a lot of time to think about this project, so I questioned myself over and over; should I have even started this project? Have I been wrong in trying to reach the impossible?”_

“ _October eleventh. I have finally decided. I will close down this facility and never to set foot in it again, but as I am constantly bedridden now, Palet will have to do it for me. I will turn it into a plant to grow enhanced crops using chrysm energy, so that it will bring some good to people… but am I only trying to hide this accursed deed that I cannot reverse?”_

“ _December thirty-first. Palet is well on his way to close down the facility, but unfortunately, I do not think that I will live to see the plant built; it appears that the Goddess will not give me a chance to pay for what I have done. I can only hope that no one else learns of this, not even my daughter… I am sorry, Momo… please forgive your accursed father for what he has shamefully done…”_

The ink used to write the last entry was rather blotched, as though drops of water had fallen on it before it had dried… tears? Was he crying when he wrote it? And what was it he had done that he was so ashamed of?

Momo found herself feeling rather confused, rather despaired, rather tearful. All her life, she had believed that her father was truly the greatest person in the world, the greatest inventor… the greatest father.

For to learn that he had done an unforgivable thing… it was a hard truth to accept.

“Momo?” Nina called, concerned, touching her shoulder.

Rei shook his head. “Is there something wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing really…” the engineer smiled, hiding her tormenting feelings inside. “This is my father’s journal, so it means he has something to do with this place.” She shook her head. “Maybe his name is the password to the next door?”

As it was the only lead they had, once again they left for the room with the computers, and Momo went to the machine that had a red number two glowing on its screen.

“Let’s see…” she muttered, keying in the letter. “Password… R-E-P-S-O-L…”

Just like before, a metallic voice spoke after the beep, “Password accepted. Opening all doors marked number two.”

“I knew it…” she murmured and slowly faced her companions, a pained expression on her face. “Repsol was… that’s my father’s name. When I saw the machines here, I knew that my father must have been involved somehow, but I’ve never heard anything about this place… and he’s done something that he’s ashamed of here…”

Not quite knowing what to reply to that statement, all six of them lapsed into silence while they walked towards the now unlocked door. As she strode, Momo recalled an old memory forgotten for years…

 

* * *

 

“ _Daddy!!” seven-year-old Momo cried as she ran into her father’s study, full of tears._

“ _Hm?” Repsol turned, concern evident on his face as he knelt down in front of her. “What’s wrong, dear?”_

“ _Snowie… she’s… she’s not moving!” She tearfully held up the limp white cat she had in her arms. “What’s wrong with her?!”_

_Gently, he took the cat from her and observed it, then shook his head slowly. “I’m sorry, Momo… Snowie’s… dead.”_

“ _NO!!” She shook her head defiantly, refusing to believe it. “Snowie’s not dead! She doesn’t want to leave! I know she doesn’t!!”_

“ _Momo…” He sighed softly, pulling her into an embrace. “Momo, when it’s time for someone to die, it’s not that they want to…”_

“ _But I… I don’t want her to go…” she sobbed._

_He smiled a little as he held her. “Why don’t you be happy for the time you’ve spent with Snowie, instead of feeling sad that you’ll never see her again? After all, you’re still alive…”_

 

* * *

 

Beyond the metal door labelled with number two was a series of halls that led to numerous observation rooms. Right in middle of each observation room, a thick glass wall separated them from the dirt covered half of the room, where thick vines spread all over as though trying to cover every inch of the little space they had.

Somehow, seeing these vines sent a chill down their backs.

“This…” the princess spoke, approaching the glass wall. “This reminds me of the mutant plant we saw years ago, before Peco joined us…”

“Pyu…” The onion looked sad.

Momo said nothing for a while, but then she caught sight of a piece of paper on a nearby table. Upon picking it up and reading it, she read the header aloud, “Project AA. Experiment five-hundred-twenty-one. Failure.” She shook her head, turning to the others. “Project AA… maybe it’s the next password?”

There was only one way to find out.

When they had returned to the room with the computer, Momo went to the computer that had number three flashing on its screen, and she keyed in the password.

“Let’s see…” she muttered to herself again. “Enter password A-A…”

The now familiar sound of the beep and the metallic voice rang out, “Password accepted. Opening all doors marked number three.”

“There’s only one door left now.” She gazed at the ceiling, a faraway look on her face. “I wonder… what is this Project AA? Something to do with enhancing life… like the enhanced crops? Or…” She stared at her father’s journal, running a hand over its hard cover. “…or does it have to do with mutants…? What was my father trying to do?”

Silence filled the air, with no one able to answer her, and another memory crept into her mind.

 

* * *

 

_Eight-year-old Momo walked into her father’s little laboratory, where he was studying the mechanism of a complex-looking machine._

“ _Daddy? Can I ask you something?” she asked._

_He smiled fondly at her as he stopped working. “Sure, what is it, dear?”_

_She hesitated for a moment. “Why is it that you’re always working on some project or other? Don’t you ever get tired of them?”_

_He laughed a little, as though she had uttered a joke. “No, I love working on these projects, I’m proud of all my work.”_

_She blinked. “You’re proud of your work?”_

“ _Yes, I am. I’m proud of them because I know they bring some good for other people, and I’m happy when other people are happy.” He knelt down in front of her and put a hand on her head. “When you’re older, I hope that what you do will bring happiness to other people.”_

_She grinned happily. “Yes, I want to do that! I want to study machines just like you do, Daddy!”_

 

* * *

 

_His projects are always for the good of others…_ she thought to herself. _So why did he do this…? Do something that he’s ashamed of…?_

Garr cleared his throat and interrupted her thoughts, “There is naught to be gained by staying here.” He folded his arms across his chest. “We should search for Director Palet, the only one with answers to our questions.

She nodded slowly. “Yes… yes, you’re right. I have to find out what exactly what happened here.”

“Momo…” Nina put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m sure your father’s still a great person. Whatever he did that he’s ashamed of, I’m sure it’s just a mistake.”

She smiled slightly. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Nina.”

Now that the door labelled with number three was open, they headed to the one they had passed earlier and entered, emerging in a long and wide hallway. As soon as they neared the end of the hallway, however, they saw that a deep purple gas was slowly leaking out from between the crack of a slightly ajar metal door. A little ways from there was a closed door with a panel beside it.

“Hm…” Momo went to the panel to examine it, pressing a few buttons, and read the message that appeared on the above screen. “…oh no…”

“What’s wrong, Momo?” Ryu asked.

She sighed, turning towards them. “We need something called a card key to get into that room.”

“Well.” Rei rubbed the back of his head. “I’ll bet that Palet guy’s in there.”

“So where does the card key lie?” the Guardian questioned.

“I don’t know,” the older woman admitted, glancing at the other door where the purple gas was pouring out from. “Maybe that room?”

The blue-haired man shook his head. “That’s chrysm gas pouring out, isn’t it? I don’t think it’s a good idea to go in there…”

“No, it’s not, but… what if the card key’s really in there?” Determined, she approached the door. “I’m going in, I have to find out what’s going on in here.”

“What are you, nuts?!” the half-tiger exclaimed.

“This is my father’s plant, so I’ll have to ask you not to come with me.” She grinned. “Besides, everything will be fine!”

“But Momo–” the winged girl started, but Garr held her back.

“Be careful,” was all he said.

Momo nodded cheerfully. “I will, don’t worry!”

With that, she boldly stepped into the room, one sleeve placed across her lower face to prevent herself from inhaling too much chrysm gas.

Nina shook her head. “Why did you stop me, Garr? You know that if she stays in there too long, she’ll die from chrysm poisoning!”

Garr gazed at her. “If you were in her place, what would you have done?”

“I…” She focused her eyes on the metal floor. “I would want to take the chance, no matter how small it is…”

“That is precisely why I stopped you.” He turned towards the door. “Let us hope that she will return safely.”

Ryu nodded. “Yeah, I really hope so…”

 

* * *

 

Inside the room, every inch of the air was filled thick purple fumes, and it was hard for Momo to see beyond two feet around her. Her eyes stung from the gas and it was difficult for her to breathe, but she pressed on, searching as hard as she could around the room for something that looked like a card key.

No matter how small the chance was.

_Father… I… when I heard that you’ve done something that you’re ashamed of… I…_

She coughed a little, but determinedly continued her search.

… _I really don’t know what to think of at all. I’ve always thought of you as some sort of a saint… someone who’s incapable of doing anything wrong…_

A sharp pain cut through her chest, forcing her to take in quick breaths. Her eyes growing hazier with each step, she stumbled as her legs began to feel weak. She clutched at the edge of a nearby desk to steady herself, shaking her head to clear her mind.

… _but all my life, I’ve never known you to do things that’ll bring pain to other people…_

She coughed again, determinedly pulling herself to her feet with one arm holding tightly onto her father’s journal.

_So I… I have to find out what is it that you did here! Why this place exists!_

She gritted her teeth, falling heavily onto an office chair that stood next to the table, and searched quickly among the papers. Buried beneath the papers was a white card, which she immediately seized.

_I-I’ve got it! The card key!_

It was just that very moment when a large creature, which had been lurking about the room, chose to emerge, making her turn. Her eyes grew wide as she set her eyes on it – it was a gigantic slug, with slimy orange hide, purple legs and four eyeballs, and slime dripped from its numerous sharp fangs.

It crawled towards her, ready to devour her.

_A… a slug?! A mutant?!_

She screamed as the monster lashed out at her, shutting her eyes tightly as she braced herself for pain. She clutched tightly onto her father’s journal… as though it would protect her.

Then, a great flash of light filled the room, making the mutant recoil back as though it had been hit. After a brief moment it recovered from the surprise, roared and struck again, its fangs gleaming. Another roar filled the room, belonging to a different creature altogether, and something smaller than it flew between it and its target. Within another flash of light, magical flaming claws scratched it, the heat forcing it to scream in pain as it backed away.

Momo looked up slowly, coughing slightly.

And her eyes widened.

Through the tears caused by the stinging of the chrysm gas, she saw her father.

Standing up straight, facing the monster confidently… protecting her.

Just as he did once before, protecting her from a golem that attacked their home.

Her heart soared, and tears of happiness filled her eyes.

But once she blinked, she saw that it was only her imagination. Where she had supposedly seen her father, it was a bare-chested man, with long flowing golden hair. The lower half of his body was covered in shining green scales while his lower arm, reptilian tail and legs below his knees were covered in fiery crimson scales. Black bat-like wings spread from his back, which allowed him to move around swiftly in a gliding manner, but as his back was towards her, she was unable to see his face.

Her heart fell.

_Of course… my father’s been dead for a while… there’s no way he’ll be here to save me… but who…?_

As the huge slug roared, the man quickly turned and swept Momo off her feet, gliding towards the exit. The mutant chased after them, but it was no match for their speed, and they soon emerged in the hallway where the rest of the companions waited. Furious that its preys were escaping, the monster tried to charge through the door, but it crashed into the doorframe as it was too large to go through. It struggled obstinately, trying to get at them.

The golden-haired man set Momo on the floor, allowing the others to take a good look at him.

“Ryu!” Nina, Momo and Rei exclaimed in surprise.

Sure enough, it was him, for it was his face and his kind eyes, despite the golden colour of his eyes and hair. He nodded, as though telling them to stay, and turned to face the monster once more. With a great roar, he threw himself at the slug, his clawed hand rolled into a fist.

“Are you okay?” Nina asked in concern as she knelt beside the older woman.

Momo nodded, though shakily. “Y-yeah, I’m okay…”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Rei asked. “You didn’t breathe in too much of that gas, did you?”

She attempted to grin. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be fine after breathing some fresh air for a while!” she held up the card key for them to see. “And look! I’ve gotten the card key!”

“Pukyu!!” Peco cried.

Garr nodded. “You have done well. Do rest now.”

A roar from the huge slug caught their attention, and they looked up just in time to see another Flame Claw before the mutant disappeared into thin air with a final roar. After making sure that there was no more danger, Ryu forced the door shut with a clawed hand, so that no more chrysm gas could leak out, before reverting back to his human form.

“I didn’t know you got a new Dragon form, Ryu!” Momo exclaimed.

He smiled a little. “I found it inside that room… I’m glad I could help with this Warrior Dragon form.”

“But what was that thing in there?” Rei asked, shaking his head. “A mutant?”

The Guardian shook his head. “There is no other explanation for such a creature.”

No one else said anything, not even Momo, but she had plenty to think about.

… _maybe… maybe this place is being used to… make mutants in some kind of an experiment…?_

She shook her head quickly.

_No… I don’t want to believe that you had a hand in this, Father…_

They stayed in silence for a while as Momo rested. Once she had begun to feel the effects of the chrysm gas subsiding, she got to her feet and placed the card key into a thin slot on the panel.

After a loud beep, a metallic voice filled the hallway, “Card key verified. Opening door to the laboratory.”

And the metal door slid open just a second later.

“Well, that’s the last door, we should be able to find Palet now…” She shook her head, determined. “I’ve a lot of questions for him to answer!”

The others nodded and together, they strode through the door.

They were in a laboratory filled with complex machinery leaning against the walls, coloured liquid swirling in beakers in the shelves, and scattered papers on long tables. There was a dreaded feeling in the air… as though forbidden acts were being committed here.

And there, rubbing his hands gleefully, was Palet, who grinned manically as he gazed at a particularly large machine.

“Hee hee hee… soon, Mother…” he said. “Soon, I’ll be able to revive you…” He ran a wrinkled hand over the smooth surface of the contraption. “With this elixir made using the mixture of chrysm ore and Yggdrasil sap… I’ll be able to bring you back to life!”

He turned to a panel that stood next to the machine and pulled the lever on it, and a loud hum began to fill the room.

“I’ve done hundreds of experiments to perfect this process! After all…” His grin widened. “We can’t have you come back as some nasty mutant now, can we? Hee hee hee, don’t worry, I’ll make sure you don’t look like some ugly onion or anything like that!”

It was then when all six of them confronted him, filled with questions that only he could answer.

The director’s eyes widened when he saw them, and he glared at them. “What?! Who’re you?!”

Momo was usually the cheerful one, but as she stepped forward, her eyes focused on Palet, she was nowhere near cheerful. “We finally found you, Director…”

His eyes widened in shock. “M-Momo?!!”

“So, you want to tell us what’s going on here?” She crossed her arms. “Why did you abandon the plant like that?”

“Wh-what do you mean, Momo?” I…” He hesitated. “I-I’ve been working on a new strain of enhanced crops…”

“LIAR!!” she cried so fiercely that she made Nina jump. “I heard you… we all heard you talking about bringing your mother back from the dead!”

He started to look flustered. “Wh-wh-what? I… I-I’m just… my m-m-m-mother…”

“Your experiments, where you used the chrysm… they’re responsible for the mutants, aren’t they?” Remembering the first mutant they had fought ten years ago, where they had met Peco, made her feel even more determined as she pointed a finger at the director. “Your experiments to bring your dead mother back to life!!”

Seemingly challenged by her words, he shook his fist at her and shouted, “SHUT UP!! What do you know?!” He swung a hand in the air in his frustration. “Why is it fine to use chrysm to create new life with enhanced crops, but not to give new life to my mother?!” A sly grin formed on his face. “Besides… it was Repsol who put this machinery together in the first place!”

“What?!!” Ryu, Nina, Momo and Rei exclaimed in unison.

Palet laughed. “That’s right! He was the one who went to Yggdrasil, got the sap and put it into the machine, hoping to bring his dead wife back to life!”

Momo trembled, unable to believe the truth. “No… he wouldn’t…”

He spread his arms towards the ceiling, as though he was about to receive great blessings from the gods. “It was a great discovery; we were able to use the essence of that good-for-nothing old tree with chrysm to give life! Then…” He frowned, banging a hand on a nearby table. “Then that fool Repsol… he said it was against the laws of nature, said it was wrong, and stopped the experiments!”

“He… did…?”

He banged a fist on the table again. “Why?! What’s wrong with it?! Everyone who has lost a loved one wished they would come back!!”

“Well…” Rei rubbed the back of his head, his tail bobbing up and down. “There’s always somebody being born and somebody dying or other… bringing someone back to life is unnatural, isn’t it?

“Unnatural?! What’s unnatural about using the resources we’ve been given?!”

Garr folded his arms across his chest. “Death is but part of life… it will do you good to accept that fact of life, Director Palet.”

“No!!” Growling, the director grabbed a beaker, which was filled with bubbling sky blue liquid, from the nearby shelf. “I won’t quit now!!”

“W-what are you planning to do with that?!” Nina cried, shaking her head.

He seemed pleased to see their reaction. “Hee hee hee… you see this?” He shook the beaker lightly, so that the liquid swirled around. “This is what we extracted from Yggdrasil… the essence of consciousness itself!!”

“It’s… part of Yggdrasil…?” Ryu muttered.

Then, to everyone’s horror, Palet pulled out the cork from the mouth of the beaker and drank the liquid all in one gulp.

“PUKIIIII!!” Peco shouted in rage, jumping up and down, upset at someone drinking something that rightfully belonged to the ancient tree.

“Hee hee hee…” The director wiped his wet mouth with one sleeve as he tossed the beaker onto the ground, causing it to shatter into pieces. “I’ll now transform… then I’ll be able to protect my mother from anyone who’ll harm us…”

He gave a scream as a light engulfed him, just as his form began to grow bigger and bigger, until his head almost touched the ceiling. When the light faded, however, it was the ugliest monster Momo had ever seen.

It was a gigantic mushroom, with a huge brain – one side bright blue and the other bright red – as its top. Huge green eyes glared at them from the centre of the mushroom stalk, while a wide mouth below it occasionally breathed brown smog between fangs, and tens of little legs poked out from the bottom of the stalk.

“…like you!!” a deep haunting voice came from the bizarre monster, and then it cackled loudly.

“Pu…” Taking a deep breath, Peco stood still, then after about two seconds, he suddenly leaped high into the air and unleashed all of his breath at once. “KYUUUU!!”

What happened next was something that the others could not have imagined – the onion was breathing out fire, just like a fire-breathing Dragon!

“Peco?!” Nina cried.

Apparently, even though Palet had transformed into a monster using Yggdrasil’s sap, he still retained most of the plant’s properties, for he screamed loudly when the flame breath burned him mercilessly. A plant, after all, had a weakness against fire.

“Now!” Rei cried, rushing forward. “Fire hurts him!!”

Ryu and Garr followed suit, their weapons raised, and Nina started glowing as she charged a spell.

“You… you… INSOLENT FOOLS!!” Palet yelled as unknown projectiles were fired into the air from his head, as his red and blue brain divided into two. These projectiles, they discovered, were brains!

“What the heck?!!” Rei skidded to a stop and drew back, dodging the brain projectiles.

“Nina!” Ryu cried as he leaped and slashed at a brain that was heading for the princess, slicing it cleanly into halves that landed on the ground.

“Pyu!!” Peco was grabbed by the legs as Garr pulled him away from being hit by a brain.

Despite the chaos around her, however, Momo remained where she was, unmoving as though she was completely shocked by the events that had unfolded before her. Even while Rei sliced the brains that were aiming for her, that failed to get her attention. She merely stood there with her eyes wide.

“…all this while…” Momo closed her eyes, and opened them again. focused on the monster that used to be the director. “All this time when you worked for the plant, you never had any thoughts for it, did you?” She swung an arm in anger. “You just cared about the experiments!!”

“Hahaha!!” the monster bellowed. “Of course! I don’t care if this plant’s destroyed, as long as I bring my mother back!!” He roared. “And I’ll destroy you too!!”

“Destroy the plant my father worked so hard for?! Over my dead body!!” With sudden vigour, she raised her bazooka and leaned it on her shoulder, her eyes shone with absolute fury that she had never shown before. “TAKE THIS!!”

With a fire chrysm already embedded inside the bazooka, she fired multiple shots at Palet, so many at one go that she was pushed back onto the floor as a result of the recoil.

Nina, who had already finished charging her spell, unleashed it at the same time. “Fireblast!!”

With the combined force of both Momo’s fire chrysm shots and Nina’s spell, a great burst of flames erupted and exploded right on target. The mushroom monster let out a cross between a roar and a hollow howl, stumbling backwards.

But Palet was adamant in bringing his mother back to life that he refused to go down without a fight, With a grand roar, he stood right back up. He inhaled deeply, like a diver ready to go underwater, and exhaled a huge wave of poisonous fumes, filling the large laboratory with its deep violet colour.

The group of six coughed and spluttered, drawing as far back as possible from the fumes, but there was nowhere to run. The poisonous gas was truly potent – it brought even Garr down to his knees in mere seconds.

“DIE!!” Palet’s haunting voice shouted.

But he wasn’t the only one who wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Momo stood up resolutely. She was still affected from the chrysm gas she had inhaled earlier and she trembled from the effects of the poison, but that didn’t stop her. She stepped forward like a soldier, ready to protect her father’s plant from this threat.

Even if she hadn’t the strength to even lift her weapon anymore.

But she wasn’t alone.

She had her friends, who were willing to fight together with her.

Ryu placed a hand on her shoulder, a hand filled with warmth. The warmth from his hand was spreading into her shoulder, as though power was being transferred into her.

Surprised, she turned to face him. There was nothing on his face but kindness and understanding, as though he was telling her, “I’ll help you, so trust me.”

She could almost see the faded image of a blue-haired woman behind him, a pretty woman in a white robe and blue Dragon wings, giving her a reassuring smile.

Momo nodded. She had always trusted him, just as Nina trusted him, for he had unfailingly protected them. Just like how he had protected her from the mutant slug earlier.

And she trusted he would help her protect her father’s memory.

Suddenly, power exploded from within the hand, and intense energy surged through her veins, as though burning her from the inside, and she screamed at the pain.

The energy circulated in her veins, travelling back and forth between her and Ryu, through his hand, and it repeated again and again.

Growing stronger with each cycle.

Then, suddenly, a great burst of light filled the room, overpowering everyone’s sight.

Followed a loud thud, as though something heavy had fallen onto the floor.

As the light dimmed, everyone else was stunned to see that the purple fumes were gone.

And a grand creature sat in the centre of the room, gazing majestically at the mushroom creature before it.

It was a golden suit of armour in the shape of a Dragon, with at least seven feet between its shoulder pads and the floor. Its helmet revealed nothing on the wearer, with one long horn at the back of its head tipped with red feathers. Its whole body was made of golden metal, gleaming in the artificial light of the laboratory. Its front claws were sharp and gleaming, like the talons of an eagle, and its long tail ended with a spiked ball at the end.

From within the darkness within the helmet, two golden eyes gleamed.

The power of a Dragon, manifested by Momo’s strong loyalty to her father.

The Golden Knight.

Shaken by the sight of this bizarre creature, Palet unleashed more brain-shaped projectiles into the air, forcing them to rain down on his enemies.

The Dragon-shaped armour approached him with slow, heavy footsteps, the projectiles merely bouncing off its body like raindrops off an umbrella.

“W-what are you?!” the mushroom roared in fear, firing more projectiles at it.

Suddenly the Golden Knight gave a hollow roar, a fearsome sound that made Palet drew back as though he had been hit, and it lowered its head. The horn at the back of its head, shaped like a cannon, then fired a projectile of its own.

Palet’s eyes widened.

A colossal bomb. Falling towards him.

He had barely given a loud shriek when the bomb fell onto him, its weight pressing on his head.

An instant later, there was a gigantic explosion, so great that it sent everything flying, filling the room with a great burst of flames and light.

And the Golden Knight merely watched, its strong armour body shielding its companions from the flames.

Seconds later, when everything had settled down, the Dragon-shaped armour then reverted back to Ryu and Momo in a soft light. Overwhelmed with dizziness, the engineer fell backwards into a sitting position, breathing hard as though she had run for miles.

“Whoa!” she exclaimed. “That was awesome! It’s such a powerful feeling, whatever that was! Is that how a Dragon feels?!”

Rei grinned. “Awesome, right? I had a turn just the other day!”

The princess laughed. “You two make it sound like it’s a wonderful feeling… now I want to give it a try too!”

Garr chuckled, amused. “I, too, begin to wonder if being a Dragon is a bad thing…”

Ryu, who didn’t quite seem as dazed this time, reddened. “Aw, c’mon…”

At that moment, another great burst of light surprised them, drawing their attention back onto Palet. They saw that the monster was gone, leaving the director who was covered in terrible burns. Fire burned part of the room, where some of the machinery lay destroyed, and moments later the lab’s fire alarm system activated. The sprinklers were turned on, spraying water in all directions to curb the fire, as a dull ringing sound filled the air.

“Ugh…” Palet groaned.

He stumbled backwards, flailing his arms to keep his balance, and fell onto a nearby table, overturning it. The beakers that stood on its surface were tossed into the air, some landing onto him and covering him with coloured liquid, while others crashed onto the floor around him, spilling their contents into a pool of rainbow liquid around his feet.

“D-damn you…!!” he muttered, staggering back to his feet. “I won’t be beaten…!!”

Rei twirled his dual daggers. “Give it up, old man. You’ve lost.”

“Grr… no, I won’t!!” Abruptly he jumped up, reaching for another beaker in a shelf, but in his haste, he slipped on the pool of liquid and fell onto another machine.

Everyone gasped as screams of agony filled the room, sparks escaping from the machinery like a caged monster yearning for freedom. Electricity surged through Palet, burning him from the inside, and the machine exploded. Fire attacked him hungrily, refusing to be put out by the sprinkling water from the pipes above.

Fire and electricity combined, burning all parts of his body, from the inside and from the outside, and screams continued to echo loudly through room. Slowly, the screams died down, and his now charred body collapsed onto the floor, completely unrecognisable.

For long minutes following the event, unnerving silence filled the air. Nina covered her eyes and turned towards Ryu, who put a hand silently on her shoulder. Rei turned away and Garr merely covered his eyes.

Momo gazed at the dead body of the director, tears threatening to fall, a torrent of feelings raging in her heart.

“…so many times, I’ve asked myself…” She shook her head, sniffing. “…what would it have been like if my father had lived…? That’s why…” She stared at the metal ceiling of the laboratory. “That’s why… I simply don’t know what to think… when I heard about this project…”

“Momo…” Nina whispered, shaking her head.

“But when I heard that he didn’t continue the experiments, somehow I feel relieved…” She faced the others. “I still think he’s the greatest father ever, and I still believe in him… he’s probably just torn when my mother died, just like anyone else when they lost someone…”

The Guardian nodded. “It is but the norm, to feel sadness for the loss of a loved one.”

“Yeah, I know that…” She smiled, albeit a little sadly. “But I’m happy to know he’s just like the rest of us… even if he’s not the saint I believed him to be.”

The princess placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m glad, Momo.”

She approached the largest machinery in the room, where Palet’s mother was supposedly being brought back to life. “You know, guys, I bet Palet’s mother can’t be happy, being hooked up to machines like this…”

Ryu shook his head. “You mean we’re going to…?”

“It is for the best,” Garr stated.

“That’s what I thought.” Momo gazed at the smooth surface of the machine. “After all, everyone wants to rest in peace after dying, right?”

Nina nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

The half-tiger nodded. “Go for it.”

“Pukki,” Peco agreed.

“Can it be stopped by just flipping this lever?” the azure-haired man asked.

“Yes, it should.” The older woman put a hand on the lever. “If I flip this, the supply of chrysm should stop.” With a nod to the others, she determinedly flipped the lever.

With a low rumble, the lights from the machine faded away and the loud hum from it gradually died down, leaving the room in silence.

“With this, the plant will be closed down for good…” Momo felt despaired for a moment, but soon she reverted back to her cheerful self as she faced her companions. “Oh well, one can’t expect every project to be successful, right?” She stretched. “Whew, it’s been a tiring day! Say, why don’t we go and have a drink at the coffee shop? It’ll help us relax and it’s been ages since I’ve been with you guys!”

The princess beamed. “Yes, and we’ll chat like before!”

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a long chat with someone!”

A cheeky grin formed on Rei’s face. “Hey, if you’re paying, I’m all up for it!”

“No way!!”

Everyone laughed.

Feeling much more cheerful, the six of them left through the wide open gates of the plant, looking forward to relaxing and having drinks at the coffee shop. There was nothing left at this place for them, they knew that much.

Momo, however, gave one last gaze at the plant, her father’s final project, before turning away, with one thought in her mind.

_Don’t worry, Father, you’re still the greatest… I won’t ever doubt you anymore._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending to this chapter is so sad… I could imagine the scene anime-style, with everyone laughing and walking towards the coffee shop, and Momo lagging behind to have one last look at her father’s last project, then the whole screen turns brown (old paper / drawing-style, like how Wild Arms Alter Code: F’s prologue ends) just as Momo’s voice says the last line. It’s so sad. T_T
> 
> And don’t mind me for changing some of the layout of the underground lab, I did it to suit my chapter. o_o


	22. Nineteen: The Princess’ Choice

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Nineteen: The Princess’ Choice**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

It was peaceful that night, as everyone relaxed around the campsite by the river that divided Eastern and Central Wyndia. Ryu leaned against a tree with his eyes closed, Garr constantly tossed firewood into the fire, Rei sharpened his knives and Peco snoozed in the tent. For Momo, though, her idea of relaxing was to study something, and she studied the onion with a notepad in one hand, barely looking up when Nina entered the tent.

“Momo?” Nina called.

The engineer turned her eyes towards her. “Huh? What is it, Nina?”

She smiled. “Thank you for your help, Momo. Thanks to you, we were able to take care of the problem at the plant.”

“Oh, that?” She shook her head, beaming. “No worries about that! It was my father’s plant, after all, so I would have to do something sooner or later!” As she remembered the events that had transpired at the plant, her enthusiasm was replaced by sadness. “My father… he repaired that machine and was going to use it to bring back my mother… but he quit and started working on developing enhanced crops instead…”

The princess sat down beside her. “I wonder… what made him realise and quit his experiments?”

Seeming a bit more cheery now, she smiled again. “Well, my father’s the sort to do things for the good of other people, to make their lives easier or things like that… only that he’s sad when my mother passed away.”

“I see…”

Stroking Peco’s head, she continued, “He probably eventually realised that there’s nothing more unnatural, more wrong than trying to bring the dead to life. He loved machines, and he may not have known a lot about anything else…” Then, she grinned. “But he wasn’t stupid!”

“I’m sure he’s not.” She giggled. “But I’m sure I know where you get your absentmindedness from!”

“Hey!” She tossed an eraser at her.

Laughing, she jumped away. “I’m just teasing you!”

Still grinning, she remarked, “I know that, but I thought you deserved it anyway!”

“Hey!”

And both of them burst into laughter.

“Well, anyway…” Nina started again, smiling, after she had calmed down. “Thank you, Momo. Now Ryu can receive the king’s forgiveness and travel to the eastern lands.”

“No problem, I’m glad I could help! Oh, say, speaking of the eastern lands…” She nodded. “I’ve been thinking… I’ll probably go east with everyone else. After all, there’s no point in staying at the plant.”

She nodded, beaming. “I’m glad that you’re coming along, Momo.”

“And besides…” Her rabbit-like ears perked up. “I still want to see what kind of ship they have in Rhapala!”

It was just that very moment when Honey shrugged and shook her head, as if to groan and say, “Oh no, not again…”

And the two of them laughed once again.

 

* * *

 

The City of Winds had not changed at all in the last ten years – it was still a high large city made of stone and surrounded by high walls, and there was a strong gust of wind that turned the huge windmills situated at various locations of the city. Everywhere in the city was still seemed rather busy, with all the people bustling here and there.

“Well, here we are,” Nina said as the group stopped outside the city. “We made it to Wyndia.”

“Whoa…” Rei observed his surroundings in awe.

Ryu chuckled at his reaction. “That’s exactly how I reacted the first time I was here, all those years ago.” He grew quiet. “I came here looking for Teepo and you, but…”

He nodded, sighing a little. “Yeah, I know. It’s always been his dream to come here…”

“…well, I guess there’s no point thinking about that now…” He shook his head and turned to the princess. “So, um, Nina… are you sure the king and queen would forgive me after we helped at the plant?”

“Actually…” Nina shook her head doubtfully. “I’m not so sure about it now…”

“If they spent ten years believing he is a criminal…” Garr crossed his arms. “I think not they will let him walk free.”

“Yeah…” The azure-haired man sighed softly.

“Maybe we shouldn’t let Ryu see them yet?” Momo suggested.

The winged girl nodded. “I think so too. They’ve seen all of you before, except…” She turned to Rei.

Rei blinked. “Huh? What?”

She thought for a moment. “Rei, why don’t you come with me to the castle? We need a passport to cross the bridge, but everyone else was here ten years ago, so my parents will recognise them.”

“And…” The Guardian stretched his wings as he added, “I recently acquired a passport, so I can ask them not for another one.”

“So…” Nina smiled. “It’s probably better if you come along with me, because no one here knows you, right?”

Rei rubbed the back of his head. “Uh, yeah, I guess so…”

“Then it’s settled!” She beamed. “Well, let’s go, Rei!”

Ryu watched them go, unable to help but to feel despaired… what if this was the last time he would see her? What if her parents confined her in the castle again? Even if he finished his journey to see the Goddess, how would he be able to see her again, now that he was branded as a criminal?

_I guess… we’ll never see each other again…_

He turned, his back towards the city, hiding his face from the others as he strode back out into the wilderness. His eyes stung, as though he was still a tearful child.

_Maybe… maybe some things are just… not meant to be…_

 

* * *

 

It did not take Nina long to explain the details of what happened in Syn City and the plant, though she conveniently left out the fact that Rei was the weretiger and that she had other companions helping her. She was glad her mother was not in the audience hall today, as she related the story to her father.

“Thank you, Nina,” the king said, smiling. “Excellent work on your part, I must say!”

She curtsied. “Thank you, Your Majesty. But I did not do it myself.” She gestured towards her half-tiger companion. “I was only able to complete my missions with Master Rei’s help.”

Rei, feeling flustered at all the formality, knelt down in respect before the king, his head bowed.

“Rise, Master Rei,” the king commanded, though not harshly. “Thank you for your assistance. If what I heard is correct, you wish to travel to the eastern lands?”

He stood up slowly, nodding. “Y-yes, Your Tall… uh, Highness…”

He did not seem to mind his nervousness. “We will have a passport prepared, Master Rei. In the meantime, please enjoy our hospitality!”

“Uh, t-thank you.”

The princess smiled as she turned at him, gesturing towards the entrance of the audience hall. “This way please, Master Rei. I will give you a tour of the castle.”

 

* * *

 

“Man, doesn’t this just beat all?” Rei shook his head as they walked, glad to be away from the stiff formality of the audience hall. “How the heck do you even live in here?

Nina turned to him, puzzled. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean, everyone here’s so stiff and formal, and even you change the way you talk the moment you’re in front of the king…” He rubbed his head. “Doesn’t anyone ever relax in this place? Geez…”

She giggled. “It’s probably just because you’re not used to being in a place like this, Rei!”

He grinned. “What do you expect from a thief?”

“Thief or not, you’ll get used to it soon enough!”

She led him down a staircase to a dull-looking place lit by torches on the dark stone walls. There were little guards here, though there were servants bustling up and down, with some of them transporting things to and fro.

“This is the basement of the castle.” The princess pointed at a hall. “The kitchen’s that way, and–” She pointed toward another hallway. “–the dungeon’s that way.” She sighed softly as memories of the past flooded her mind. “Speaking of the dungeon, Ryu was put in there once, ten years ago.”

“He was, huh?” Rei shrugged. “What did he do then?”

“It wasn’t his fault, actually…” She shook her head slowly. “Balio and Sunder found out he’s a Dragon and brought him here to see the king, and when my father saw that he was just a boy, all three of them got arrested…”

“I see…” He was about to continue, but then he spied something moving at the corner of his eyes. “Hey, something’s following us…”

“Huh?” She turned, looking around, and caught sight of a familiar robot doll on the floor. “Honey?! What are you doing here?”

Honey just looked up at her.

Rei blinked. “Wait, isn’t that Momo’s robot?”

“Yeah, it’s Honey.” She knelt down in front of her. “Did you follow me again?”

Honey nodded.

Picking up the robot gently in her hands, she stood up and faced her companion again. “You know, she followed me here once before, so many years ago… she tried running away from me, and we ended up falling off a balcony!”

He winced slightly. “Ouch, weren’t you hurt at all?”

She shook her head, beaming. “No, because then she slowed my fall with some magic shield thing…” She held Honey firmly. “I’ll grab her this time to make sure she doesn’t go off anywhere again.”

“Good idea, you wouldn’t want to jump off the balcony again, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s something I’d like to forget.” _Though I’d rather jump off the balcony and join Ryu… instead of staying here…_

 

* * *

 

“And this is the dining hall,” Nina stated as they entered the brightly-decorated blue-carpeted room. “This is where we hold banquets for special occasions.”

“Ah! Nina!” an old man suddenly cried, bowing towards her. “I’m so glad to see you back safe!” He wore a formal blue suit, and he had large white wings tinged with light purple folded neatly behind him, which indicated that he was part of the Wyndian royal family.

Nina smiled. “I’m glad to see you too, Grandfather. How have you been?”

“Oh, I’m fine! Just fine! Plenty of life in this old bird yet!” He let out a loud guffaw. “So you’ve made a new friend, hm?”

She nodded, beaming. “Yes, I make a lot of new friends every time I go outside the castle; it’s much better than staying in this stuffy old castle!”

“I agree with you!” After another guffaw, he calmed down and smiled at her. “I understand why you want to go outside all the time, that’s why you’re always doing great deeds like investigating the black market mafia and the plant… you don’t have to worry about a thing, everyone in this castle is on your side.”

“But…” She sighed. “There’s still Mother…”

He stroked his bearded chin. “Ah, yes… Sheila’s a stubborn one…” But the smile remained on his face. “Well, the story of what happened ten years ago that you told me seems too much for her to understand, and your father… I’m inclined to believe that he listens to his wife too much.”

She giggled lightly. “Don’t let him hear that from you!”

He laughed. “Of course I won’t! I don’t want to be kicked out of the castle!” He thought for a moment, as though realising something. “Oh, I nearly forgot, Sheila wants to see you, Nina. Make sure you go up soon, all right?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“Hey, Nina…” Rei whispered as they stepped away from the old man. “Who’s that, really?”

“Oh, he’s my grandfather, my father’s father. He used to be the king, but now he’s retired and works as a diplomat instead.” She beamed. “I trust him more than I do my parents, so I’ve told him what exactly happened when I was out travelling with Ryu… about the Dragons… the Goddess…” She shook her head. “And he’s about the only one who believes that Ryu’s innocent.”

“That’s great, at least he’s more understanding than your parents, from what I see.”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “I just wish that my parents are like that too… then I wouldn’t want to leave the castle so much…” She stopped at the bottom of a staircase leading to the upper floor and faced the half-tiger. “Can you wait here, Rei? I have to see my mother for a minute, and I don’t think it’s right for you to go up.”

“Oh, sure.” He leaned against a nearby wall, well out of everyone’s way, and crossed his arms. “I’ll wait for you here.”

“I won’t be long.”

Her mother, as usual, was in her room resting on a chair, with two maids nearby to wait on her. Nina vaguely noticed that she seemed better now as compared to the time she left, and she meekly went to the queen’s side.

“Nina…” She smiled at her. “You’ve come back.”

She forced a smile – even though she loved her mother, somehow she never felt particularly enthusiastic about meeting her. “Yes, Mother… I’m home.”

She took her hand gently. “I’ve heard about how well you’ve done, and it pleases me greatly. But…” She shook her head firmly. “You belong to Wyndia… and you belong to me.”

“Mother… I…” _But… I don’t want to be stuck here…_

“I’m saying this for your own good, Nina. I won’t tolerate any more foolish, rash behaviour.” She waved her folded fan at her. “Understand?”

“I… understand, Mother…”

_You’re my mother, but… why…? Why won’t you understand how I feel…? Why won’t you believe me…?_

Then, she turned and headed to where Rei was waiting for her, silent and almost tearful. When her companion saw her, concern showed on his face.

“Are you… okay?” he asked uncertainly.

“I wish I am…” She sighed softly.

At that very moment, the princess’ grandfather approached them.

“Well, well…” He shook his head. “What did Sheila tell you this time?”

“Just that I belong to her and to Wyndia…” Nina focused her gaze on the blue carpet, seeming upset. “I just wish she understands how I feel…”

“I figured she will still be like that…” He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, smiling. “But, no matter what your mother says, Nina, you still have a right to feel what you’re feeling now. If you feel bad, you can always come and find me, all right?”

She smiled, looking more cheerful now. “Thanks, Grandfather.”

“Well then!” he suddenly said loudly, clearing his throat. “I heard the passport’s ready, so why don’t you check with your father?”

“Really? Okay then, I’ll do that.” She turned to the golden-haired man. “Let’s go, Rei.”

He nodded. “Right behind you.”

 

* * *

 

The large oak table in the dining hall now bore the weight of plates of luxurious food, and the king sat at the head of the table. As a servant handed the passport to Rei, the queen came downstairs to a seat beside her husband.

“My apologies for the delay, Master Rei,” the king said, smiling. “Now that the passport has been taken care of, please, relax and enjoy yourself.”

Rei’s eyes shone at the mountain of food on the table, but Nina quickly said, “Father, have you forgotten? Master Rei is on pressing business and has no time. It would be wrong of us to keep him from his business.”

“Ah, yes… forgive me.”

The half-tiger seemed confused and wanted to interrupt, but she refused to let him say a word as she continued, “I will escort Master Rei to the gate.”

Her companion seemed puzzled, but upon the princess’ glance, he bowed awkwardly towards the royal couple. “Thank you, uh, Your Tall, uh, Highness…” He was still not used to the formality. “I’ll be taking off… uh, taking my leave of you now…”

“Very well then.” The king smiled. “Farewell, Master Rei, and have a safe journey!”

With one final awkward bow to them, Rei was ushered towards the door of the dining hall, and that very moment, a soldier passed them, glanced at him, and went towards the king and queen.

“What’s the hurry?” the golden-haired man protested softly as he walked. “I never pass up a free meal!”

“I just think that you shouldn’t stay here longer than you need to,” Nina explained, walking briskly to the door. “You have to go before anyone finds out about Ryu and the others!”

“Oh… yeah… I get it now.” He nodded. “Let’s go quickly.”

She hesitated. “Actually… I don’t think I can go with you this time…” She opened the door and faced him, a look of despair on her face. “…but… please tell Ryu that… I…”

“Stop!!” the queen’s voice rang loudly across the dining hall.

Both of them froze and spun slowly around, fearing the worst. The guards, maids, servants and even the king were all looking at the queen, with a quizzing expression on their faces as they wondered what was going on. Only one guard, the one who had passed by the duo earlier, seemed to know what was going on.

“Rei, or whoever you are…” Sheila frowned, standing up from the table. “You are one of that villain Ryu’s friends, are you not?!”

All the other women gasped, including Nina.

“What?! Is this true?!” the king demanded, slamming a fist on the table.

Rei began to look nervous, wondering what the royal family could do to him.

And Nina’s grandfather, who stood at the back of the room, shook his head sadly.

“There’s no doubt!” the guard, who stood beside the queen, stated determinedly. “I saw him talking to the same people who were here years ago! And one of them unmistakeably had blue hair!”

The princess ran back to the side of the table. “Father! I can explain! I… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything right away, but…” She shook her head quickly. “Ryu isn’t a bad person! I know it!”

Sheila, furious, spoke even louder. “You’re being tricked, Nina, lied to! By these conmen!” She pointed her folded fan at Rei. “These HOODLUMS!!”

“No!!” Nina cried defiantly. “Ryu IS NOT a hoodlum or a conman! He’s a strong, noble man with a purpose!!”

“You know NOTHING!!” she shrieked, turning red from the anger. “I don’t know or care WHAT they are! They are simply NOT the people you should be calling friends!!”

“…not… friends…?”

Nina then recalled every moment of her time that she had spent with the six of them, remembering the times when she was laughing with them, crying with them, fighting along their sides for their lives… and she remembered Ryu’s kind blue eyes. Strong Ryu who had protected her from any harm, dearest Ryu who had understood her just as she understood herself…

Not to call them friends? Not even when they had risked their lives for each other?

No. Her mother could badmouth her… but not about her friends!

“It’s YOU who doesn’t understand, Mother!!” she flared, finally unable to contain the frustration, the anger that had been pent up inside her for so many years. “About the Brood! About the criminals in Syn City! About the remnants of the Techno Age!! Do you have any idea what’s outside your castle, Mother?!”

Everyone remained silent, watching her, for they were shocked to see her so angry, so… uncontrollable.

She just stood there, glaring at her parents, panting from her outburst. It was then when she felt a hand on her shoulder – it was Rei, whom she had momentarily forgotten.

“Hey, take it easy…” he said, calming her down. “Ryu wouldn’t like you like this, eh?”

At that instant, she realised her outburst and focused her gaze on the floor, tears threatening to fall. “S… sorry…”

The half-tiger then faced the queen. “You know, Your Tallness…” He didn’t care about his mistakes any longer. “All baby birds leave the nest someday… am I wrong?”

Sheila went purple with rage. “How… how DARE you?!!”

“Look…” He shrugged, almost nonchalantly. “I’m just like you said, a crook, a thief… BUT. Ryu’s different.” He straightened, gazing at her. “Ryu’s the kind of guy who can… no, WILL change the world.” He rubbed the back of his head. “I’m not surprised you’re worried about him…”

“You… you…!!” She turned towards the soldiers, who simply stood there dumbfounded. “What are you doing?! Arrest him!!”

The guards, surprised at the sudden command, quickly saluted. “Y-yes, Your Majesty!”

“Uh oh…” Rei half-grinned. “Time to leave!”

With a quick glance at the advancing soldiers, Nina nodded quickly. “Yes, this instant!”

Both of them fled out of the dining hall and immediately the guards pursued them, with a shrieking queen throwing commands at them, as the maids and servants ran to their rooms in the commotions. After a while, the only ones left in the room were the king and his father.

“No doubt she has confided in you, Father…” the king said quietly.

The older man nodded, stroking his grey beard. “Yes, indeed. She told me everything that happened ten years ago.”

He hesitated. “Do you think that she was telling the truth? That her friends are trustworthy?”

“Of course. I saw them myself ten years ago, and even that Rei fellow doesn’t look too bad. It does seem they trust her as much as she does them.” He gazed at him. “Don’t you believe your own daughter?”

“I… I do, but…” The king closed his eyes, covering them with one hand. “Nina… forgive me…”

 

* * *

 

“Oh no!” Nina cried, skidding to a stop and running in the opposite direction. “There are soldiers here too!”

“Damn!” Rei cursed. “How can we get out of this place?!”

Just then, the winged girl accidentally dropped Honey, who fell onto the carpet with a muffled clank and started moving quickly towards a direction.

Nina saw her scurrying down a particular set of staircase and shouted to her companion, “Rei, quick! Follow Honey!”

“What?”

“I followed her before!” She pulled him by the hand to make him follow. “And she led me out of the castle!”

“What’s she gonna do?!” he cried as they chased the robot doll down the staircase, into the basement. “Jump off the balcony again?!”

“It was fine then and we’re underground now, so there’s no chance of her doing that!”

They burst noisily into the kitchen, unintentionally knocking some pots and pans about, and all the chefs in there jumped in surprise as they turned in their direction.

“Princess Nina?” one of the female chefs asked. “Something wrong?”

“I-I’m leaving again! I’m sorry!” Nina shouted as she headed towards the steps to the wine cellar.

“Don’t worry, princess!” a male chef cried. “We’re on your side!”

Another man nodded. “Yeah! So you be careful out there!”

“And eat well!” a female chef yelled.

The princess beamed. “Thank you all so much! I won’t forget this!”

“Wow, it’s great that they’re helping us,” Rei commented, jumping down the steps. “But it’s a dead-end here, isn’t it?”

“It looks that way, but…” She started climbing down the ladder at the end of the wine cellar. “Something tells me we’ll find a way out…” She leaped off the ladder and landed neatly on the ground. “We’ll just have to trust Honey!”

“Right!”

At the bottom of the ladder was a small narrow room with a metal door that was heavily padlocked, which Honey was trying desperately to break down. There was a surprised guard there, who looked up when the duo came down.

“H-hey, princess!” he started, pointing at Honey. “What the heck is this?!”

“I-it’s not anything dangerous!” she told him, shaking her head. “Please don’t be alarmed!”

In the meantime, Rei hurried to the door and picked the lock easily with one claw. As soon as the door opened, Honey rushed inside, which prompted him to follow.

Right in the centre of the dimly-lit square room beyond the door, there was a huge circular floor made of reflective material on a raised square stone platform, looking very much like a gigantic pedestal, and four short pillars surrounded it at the four corners. Honey jumped onto a wide panel with numerous, complex controls on it, and started speaking in a barely audible metallic voice.

“01011010 01101111 01101101 01100111 00100001…”

“Navigator code accepted,” a much louder metallic voice from the panel echoed in the air, after an extra loud beep. “Activating Portal Drive.”

All of a sudden, a great pillar of white light shot up from the circular floor on the stone platform, illuminating the room like the sun, and the robot doll immediately ran up the steps leading to the light before disappearing away.

“I… I don’t believe it! She disappeared!” Rei exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Are we supposed to get away with this contraption?!” He was about to take a step towards the light, but then remembered his companion. “Oops, Ryu will kill me if I forget her…” He rushed outside, eagerly shouting, “Hey, Nina! I think we can make i– uh oh…”

Outside the room, many soldiers had already descended the ladder, with the queen at their lead. They appeared rather regretful within their armour, knowing that they had to obey the queen’s command against their wishes, even if they wanted to help the princess.

“Mother, I’m sorry…” Nina shook her head, a pained expression on her face. “But I have to…”

“Don’t talk to me like that, young lady!!” Sheila snapped, pointing her folded fan at her. “You’re the princess and heir to the throne! Do you think you can just disobey your duty and your family like this?!!”

“Mother…” She closed her eyes, and a lone tear slid down her cheek. “I love you, Mother. I understand how important I am and that I’m a princess…” Then she glared at her, fiery determination glinting in her eyes. “But I’m not just a princess! I am first and foremost a person! A person called Nina!” She shook her head. “And, as a person, I have to do what I think is right!”

“How DARE you talk to me like that!!” she screamed.

“So for now…” She smiled sadly as she raised a glowing wand. “Goodbye, Mother. I hope you’ll think about what I’ve said.”

With that, much to Sheila’s indignation, Nina threw an Iceblast spell between them and created an ice wall, blocking their way. Sheila shouted and screamed furiously on the other side, unable to break down the magical ice wall, and the soldiers grew uncomfortable with her tone as though she had yelled obscenities. There were magicians in the crowd who could dispel the ice wall in a second, but without a command – and they were more willing to help the princess than the Queen – they did nothing.

With another sad smile, Nina turned and escaped through the door, her white plumes trailing behind her like ribbons.

A loud hum sounded in the air, a pillar of light shining upward from the giant pedestal, and Rei led her into it. As soon as they stepped onto the platform, there was a great flash of light that obscured all sight.

When the Queen finally burst into the room, the soldiers accumulating behind her, she shrieked with rage.

Nina and Rei had vanished.

 

* * *

 

For quite a number of seconds, Nina kept her eyes tightly shut from the bright light that shone the moment they had stepped into the pillar of light. Once it had dimmed to a bearable amount, she looked up slowly and found that they were in another room similar to the one they had just came from, but instead of a metal door as an exit, there was a ladder leading to an upper level.

She stepped down the short steps from the platform, only partially realising that the pillar of light had disappeared and that Honey was waiting for them in front of her.

“Where… are we?” she wondered.

Rei shrugged. “No idea… but I’m sure glad to be out of there.” He stepped down as well, kneeling next to the robot doll. “Hey, Honey, what the heck did you do back there?”

Honey, incapable of speech, only stared at him.

The girl walked over to her and picked her up gently, feeling very glad that they were able to get away from the castle. “Well, let’s get out of here and take a look around.”

He nodded, moving towards the aforementioned ladder. “Right.”

Above the ladder was a small wooden shed, with nothing but several crates and barrels, and it seemed to be abandoned judging by the inch-thick layer of dust. The moment she was outside, however, Nina gave a loud cry.

“Hey! We’re all the way outside the castle!!”

Sure enough, they were just outside the high stone walls of Wyndia, with the city flags upon the wall billowing in the wind. They seemed to be somewhere just outside the southern part of the city, with the walls surrounding them on three sides – perhaps the person who built this place wanted to hide within the walls of the city, yet away from the eyes of the city residents.

“Whoa, I never thought we’d be able to get away like this…” Rei grinned, his tail swishing behind him. “No time to waste, then! We’d better catch up with Ryu and the others!”

The princess beamed. “Yes! That’s right!” _I get to see Ryu again… I’m so glad…_

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Garr…” Momo whispered, sitting beside the massive Dragon-like man.

Garr, who was at the campfire as usual, turned slightly. “What is it?”

She hesitated. “Well… don’t you think that Ryu’s too… quiet tonight?”

“Hm…” He gazed at the young man leaning against a tree trunk in the darkness of the night, who seemed to be lost in his thoughts as he stared into the fire.

She shook her head. “Almost depressed, I think… I wonder why?”

The Guardian tossed a log into the fire. “Perhaps, Momo, if you allow it a good long moment of thought, the answer will come to you.”

“What?” She scratched her head lightly. “I don’t get it… how would I know by just thinking about it? I’m no psychic…”

He heaved a quiet sigh. Sometimes this woman, despite being nearly thirty years of age, was impossibly dense, no matter how smart with machinery and science she was…

However, Ryu was indeed feeling rather down that day, after Nina had left for the castle with Rei. He was quite unable to think of nothing else but her, feeling rather drained and out of energy, with no motivation to do anything. Already he missed her companionship, her high laughter, her sweet smile… and it had only been, what? Five hours? God, it had felt like five weeks…

He sighed softly, closing his eyes as he leaned his head against the tree.

He could not understand why he felt this way, why he had felt so upset when she had to go, just like before they left for Angel Tower the first time. He thought he had merely missed her, but the thing was, his despair was this great when he had first woken up in Bunyan’s house ten years ago and discovered that Rei and Teepo was missing.

Why?

He had absolutely no idea.

Once again he sighed, this time getting to his feet. If he was just going to sit here thinking about it, he might as well just go and sleep, though he had a feeling that nightmares would torment him once again…

Just as he passed the campfire, however, he caught sight of two figures approaching the campsite in the darkness. His hand instantly went to the hilt of his sheathed sword, just in case they were someone unfriendly… but these two turned out to be his missing companions.

“Rei and… Nina?” he asked uncertainly, the feeling of déjà vu washing over him.

_She came back… she really came back… just like ten years ago…_

For no apparent reason, the blond-haired girl reddened. “Um, hi, Ryu.”

“Oh? I expected you to return not, Nina,” Garr said, looking up from where he sat. “Is there anything wrong?”

The half-tiger shrugged and sat cross-legged at the campfire, warming himself. “Well, basically the king and queen found out that I was with you guys and Honey helped us to escape…”

Momo’s eyes perked up. “Honey did? Why, that’s just like ten years ago?” She shook her head. “Did she use up all of her chrysm energy again?”

In reply, the robot doll jumped down from Nina’s hands and walked over to her mistress.

She beamed, picking her up. “I’m glad you’re fine this time, Honey!”

“Perhaps you would like to tell us what happened,” the Guardian said, feeding another log to the campfire.

Nina stretched, her wings spreading to their full length. “Well, you tell them, Rei. I’m so glad to be out of the castle that I want a short walk!” She smiled as she tugged at the blue-haired man’s arm. “Ryu, why don’t you accompany me?”

“Huh?” Ryu nodded. “O-okay.”

With a cheeky grin on his face, Rei said, “Heh, all right then, make sure you two take your own sweet time out there! And we’ll make sure not to interrupt!”

This statement made the two of them turn a bright shade of red, and in order to escape the embarrassment, the princess took Ryu’s hand and sped into the darkness of the nearby forest.

The blond-haired man laughed heartily. “Haha! It’s great to tease them like that!”

“Tease them like how?” came Momo’s question. “I don’t get what you mean!”

Honey slapped her head.

 

* * *

 

Panting slightly from the run, Ryu and Nina gradually stopped in the middle of a clearing, which was partially lit by the moonlight that shone in the sky.

“A walk, you say?” Ryu chuckled lightly. “More like a run.”

She giggled. “Don’t look at me! Rei made me do it, after he said–”

They realised it at the same time and abruptly turned away from each other, blushing furiously. The young man began to feel extremely nervous, his heart banging against his chest.

_What’s… what’s wrong with me…?_

They stayed that way for a long time, their backs facing one another, quite unable to think of what to say next, and Ryu felt more and more nervous by the minutes… then, he jumped when Ladon’s voice whispered in his ear.

“ _Tell her now, dammit!”_ There was a tone of amusement in the voice. _“How dense can you be, Ryu? Geez!”_

_W-what? Tell her what…?_

But the voice had stopped, nothing could be heard except for the gentle rustling of the forest leaves and the loud thuds of his own heart. Perhaps he had imagined it…

“You know, Ryu…” the princess abruptly spoke in a quiet voice that somehow made his cheeks feel even hotter.

“Y-yes?” he replied without turning.

“Thank you so much for everything.”

“Huh?” He spun around in surprise, forgetting his nervousness. “Whatever for?”

She faced him as well, smiling. “You’re always here for me, no matter what, always protecting me, and you understand me so well…”

He returned the smile. “Those are nothing, really… I wanted to do them.”

She gazed upward at him, and there was something about her blue eyes that time that made his heart flutter. “Ryu… I… I-I…”

He stared into her eyes, and he found himself somehow eagerly waiting for her to continue her sentence.

Suddenly, a loud sound from the bushes made them jump. The young man immediately stepped before Nina with his sword drawn, ready to strike if anything attacked them, and the princess had a spell prepared, her wand glowing.

But it was only a red fox, pouncing onto a squealing rat in its hunt.

The couple stared blankly at each other, then they exploded in a great laughter as they slid weakly into a sitting position on the ground.

“That expression on your face!” Nina cried. “It’s so funny!”

“Yours is even funnier!” Ryu remarked. “I can’t stop laughing now!”

“Me neither!”

And laugh they did, their voices echoing in the dark night sky.

It was more than just a few minutes when they finally calmed down, with the girl hiccupping from laughing too hard.

“Oh my, I have – hic – the hiccups now!” Nina giggled.

Ryu chuckled. “Maybe we should head back now and get you some water or something.”

She nodded. “Yeah, we should, it’s – hic – getting late anyway.”

He stood up first, not bothered to brush away the grass blades that were stuck to the bottom of his coat, and extended his hand to help her up. She smiled and took his hand as she got to her feet as well.

Together, they headed back to their campsite, beaming happily.

And the stone Dragon statue, which sat among the bushes nearby, came to life for a fleeting moment and shook its head, an amused grin on its reptilian head.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, just for your information, I changed the binary code (you know, the 1s and 0s?) into something else, so you can actually convert it to text (with a binary converter) and it’ll come out with something more understandable. Just for fun. xP


	23. Twenty: Another Guardian

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Twenty: Another Guardian**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

A day and a half later, as the high wooden walls of the eastern checkpoint loomed into view, the feeling of déjà vu rose inside Ryu once again. Compared to the time ten years ago, however, now Nina had a pair of white wings visible to everyone’s eyes, so it would be harder this time to sneak her across the border.

Absent-minded as she is, though, it was Momo who had solved the problem with a simple solution.

“Why can’t she wear a cloak or something to hide her wings?” the engineer had suggested, looking thoughtful. “I mean, there are lots of travellers who wear cloaks to protect against the weather, right?”

“Momo, I’m sure you already know it, but you’re brilliant!” Nina declared, much happier now.

So that problem was settled. Once the princess hid her wings and plumes beneath a thick, deep red cloak draped around her shoulders, she appeared as an ordinary travelling magician, and they were allowed to pass the moment Garr produced the passport for the border guards to examine.

“Y-your daughter’s looking as lovely as ever, s-sir!” one of the guards commented; evidently he was the same guard stationed here ten years ago, and he had not forgotten what had happened.

Rei seemed puzzled, but did not question his companions as they all crossed the bridge into the rocky and sandy region of Rhapala.

Rhapala was still as busy as ever, Ryu observed when they arrived at the port town three days later. There were still seagulls shrieking loudly in the sky, sailors running up and down moving goods, fisherman either waiting for fishes to bite their lines or struggling to reel one in, women busily cleaning their houses and children running about the town square.

Upon watching the fishermen, the azure-haired man once again felt the urge to go fishing again, though since his rod was lost ten years ago, he would have to get a new one. However, the higher priority now was to head on to Angel Tower to meet the Goddess and learn the truth, so fishing would have to wait.

“I wonder how Beyd and Shadis are now,” Nina wondered aloud, no longer wearing her thick cloak in the hot Rhapalan sun, as they passed the town square in the middle of Rhapala.

“Why don’t we go and check up on them?” Momo proposed.

She nodded. “Yeah, we should!”

As soon as they arrived at Beyd and Shadis’ usual spot, however, they were surprised to see Zig the huge burly man and his monkey sidekick Iggy cheering loudly. As the group neared, they learned that they were encouraging a small baby dressed in blue overalls to walk towards Shadis, still looking as pretty despite the fact that she was older now.

“This way, Shayd!” she called to the child, smiling fondly. “C’mon, walk to Mommy!”

“Ooh, is she your baby?” Nina exclaimed, approaching her. “She’s so cute!”

“Huh?” Shadis looked up, appearing puzzled for a moment, but soon she recognised her. “Goodness! Is it you, Nina?!” She glanced at the others. “And Ryu and Momo are here too?!”

She beamed. “Yes! How’ve you been, Shadis?”

“Great!” She grinned. “Ever since you helped us with the lighthouse problems, things have been going pretty well!”

Forgotten for a moment, the baby suddenly fell on her bottom, and Shadis immediately went to her.

“Oh no, Shayd, are you okay?” she cooed, kneeling in front of her. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

Apparently Shayd was not hurt, for after a while, she was up and walking about again, with a cheerful baby grin on her face.

The mother sighed in relief and turned back towards the group, smiling. “So what can I do for you this time?”

“We came to ask about the ship,” Momo stated, a hopeful look on her face.

Much to their disappointment, Shadis shook her head. “I’m sorry, I haven’t done any Guild work since I had the baby, so I don’t know much… so you’ll have to ask Beyd about it.”

“Speaking of which,” Ryu spoke, “Where’s Beyd?”

“Beyd? He just left for Junk Town yesterday to talk to the Machinist’s Guild when our ship didn’t come back again.” She appeared apologetic. “Sorry, if you want to go on the ship, you’ll have to wait like before…”

He felt disappointed – would he have to wait again, just like before?

“Worry not,” Garr said unexpectedly. “Our path around Mt. Zublo lays unobstructed. It had long been cleared.”

“Oh, you’re going to the east again?” Shadis nodded. “If that’s the case, then yes, you can use the road now!”

Ryu’s spirit lifted. “Really? That’s great!”

“But why don’t you stay here for the night?” she said, beaming. “We haven’t even repaid you for your help before, so I’ll get you free rooms at the inn!”

“And free food?” Rei asked hopefully.

She laughed. “Yes, and free food!”

“Oh boy!” he cried, grinning. “Thanks, lady!”

Nina knelt next to the baby, smiling all over her face. “Your baby’s really cute, Shadis! Can I play with her? Can I?”

Everyone else laughed in amusement at her eagerness – who would have known that the princess was actually fond of children?

“Well, you can play with Shayd now, while I go and get rooms at the inn for you!” Shadis laughed lightly. “Be careful with her, all right?”

Nina nodded happily. “Of course I would!”

“I’ll be back soon!”

As she left, Momo, Garr, Rei and Peco followed her, and Ryu sat on a nearby crate, enjoying the sea breeze. Without realising it, a fond smile spread on his face while he watched the princess play with the small child, especially noting how gentle and loving she seemed when she handled Shayd.

_She’ll… make a great mother…_

The moment the thought entered his mind, his cheeks immediately grew a bright shade of red, and he turned away towards the sea.

… _and I’m starting to get really weird thoughts lately… I wonder what’s wrong with me…_

 

* * *

 

Like their past journey, the group needed a day and a half to reach the stone staircase that lay by the entrance to Mt. Zublo, but instead of entering it, they turned left towards another set of staircase, which led to the stone road around the volcano.

As they ascended the second staircase, Ryu lagged behind and paused for a moment before the double doors at the top of the staircase. The double doors that led into a small chamber with Ladon’s statue, where he had once gotten a flashback of Deis and Ladon’s voices.

Until today, he had no idea what they meant.

A dull ache formed in his head the moment he recalled the vague memory, and he raised a hand to his head to ease it. A feeling of longing rose in his heart, a deep longing for the answers to his questions.

_Lady Deis… holds the answer to this mystery… I just have to hold out a little longer…_

By now, his companions noticed that he had stopped. He shook his head, told them that it was nothing, and rejoined them, dismissing the thoughts.

By the end of the day, they reached the steps at the end of the stone road and found that they were at the eastern base of Mt. Zublo, with a stone path leading towards Urkan Tapa and Angel Tower.

Knowing that they would soon meet the Goddess, however, the group fell into prolonged silence as they walked. Ryu was nervous, and the Guardian only grunted in reply when spoken to. The others did not try to strike up a conversation with both of them, though Nina tried to reassure the azure-haired man the best she could, and she was rewarded with an occasional smile from him.

A day after they descended from the stone road around Mt. Zublo, they reached Urkan Tapa. Garr strode in alone, in order to meet with the Patriarch for permission to enter the tower, and before long he came back out. Like a silent procession, they made their way towards their destination, despite the setting sun.

Angel Tower soon loomed into view, an elegant pyramid in the golden colour of sunset. Ryu thought ruefully that it certainly seemed like a place for the dreaded meeting with the Goddess who had commanded the massacre of his brethrens.

“Are you going to the tower, Guardian Garr?” one of the tower watchmen asked when the group approached.

“Yes…” There was a heavy tone in the Dragon-like man’s voice. “The time has but come, to return what the Goddess has given me…”

Both the watchmen jumped in surprise.

“Guardian!” the first one exclaimed. “Do you mean…?!”

“We thank you, Guardian,” the other spoke. “Thank you for your protection all these many years!” He smiled. “Rest well, Guardian Garr… go with the Goddess!”

Garr merely nodded in reply and led his companions up the long stairway towards the top of the tower.

They walked in silence, a foreboding feeling looming over them… why did the watchmen bid farewell to him? As though he was going to go away and never return? It sent a chill down their backs.

The scenery from the top of the tower was sorrowfully beautiful. A vast land of brown rocks, of magnificent mountains in the distance, shining with the orange-golden colour of the setting sun. It was as though they were gazing at the aftermath of a great war, the resting place of fallen warriors, from the tower that played the key role in the battle.

Was this tower… the very place the Guardians had gained their powers from the Goddess?

Everyone cast their gaze onto the winged man, who stood facing the large stone slab with unknown carved characters. For the longest time, the thick silence hung in the air, until Garr started speaking in a quiet voice; a voice filled with doubt, regret and sorrow.

“Once they have prevailed over the Dragonkin… once they see their mission completed, the Guardians return here to offer their victory to the Goddess.” He turned his eyes upwards, the sky that had grown a bright orange colour. “…and she shall descend upon them, to reward them for their sacrifices and victory over evil.”

Ryu merely nodded, not quite knowing what to say.

“Thereafter, their power shall be returned to the Goddess, and a deep sleep befalls them…” He clenched his fist for a moment, then released it. “…the Sleep of Stone.”

“The… Sleep of Stone…?” Nina shook her head. “You mean, you’ll turn into stone?!”

He nodded slowly. “Yes… deprived of the power granted by the Goddess, we shall be naught but mere stone.”

Rei shook his head. “Geez, that sounds so unfair…”

Abruptly Garr turned, facing Ryu. “Before I enter the Sleep of Stone, Ryu, I will do aught and all to bring you to meet the Goddess…” Firm resolution appeared on his usually serious face as he knelt before the stone slab, putting his large hands together in prayer. “And together, we shall learn the truth of the Goddess’ intentions, I swear it!!”

All of the sudden, the area around them grew dark, as though dark clouds had covered the golden sky. The foreboding feeling in the atmosphere growing even stronger, Ryu looked around nervously, his muscles tensed as though he was expecting an attack.

A lightning bolt flashed in the air right above the stone slab.

Then, a female voice, a soft one, echoed.

“ _Guardian…”_

Ryu froze.

_T-that… that voice…!_

“ _Guardian… the Goddess… will not come here…”_ the voice came again.

Surprise washed over Garr’s face, as though he knew who it was. Still, he asked loudly, “Who are you?”

He was replied by an abrupt flash of light, so bright that it made all of them wince, then a huge spinning pyramid of purple light formed in midair, just above the stone slab. Within the semi-transparent sides of the pyramid, the faded image of a woman appeared, though her features were too blurry to tell exactly who it was.

Ryu, however, found her blue hair and eyes rather familiar, as with the shape of her face.

Who was it? Someone he had met before? He knew her in the past, he knew that much… but her name stayed beyond the reach of his mind, as though mocking him.

_I… I know it’s not Sara… but I can’t remember who…_

“ _If you want to meet the Goddess… Guardian…”_ the female voice spoke once more, though the woman’s mouth did not move. _“…you must release me…”_

“Release you…?” Garr shook his head slowly, gazing up at her. “Are you… Deis?”

And the name he spoke sent a spark of realisation through Ryu, stunning him. His eyes widened, he stared at the woman in shock.

_It’s Lady Deis! The one with Lord Ladon!!_

An image of a blue-haired woman flashed across his mind, a gifted and wise sorceress who had helped him countless times in the past. A person Ladon placed much trust in.

Ryu thought harder, trying to recall even more memories, but as he pushed himself further, pain shot through his head, like the ferocious monster guardian guarding the gates to the memories. He shut his eyes tightly, placing a hand on his head.

_Why…? Why do I feel pain whenever I remember things…?!_

He looked up slowly with his narrowed eyes, gritting his teeth as he endured the pain.

_Lady Deis… I…!_

However, the image of her did not seem to notice him as she spoke again to Garr, _“…the key you must seek… Guardian Gaist…”_

Her body was beginning to fade away.

“Deis, wait!” the Dragon-like man exclaimed, taking a step. “Gaist is…!!”

In an instant, all six of them found themselves looking up, only to find that everything had returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

“Was that… just a dream?” Momo wondered.

The half-tiger shrugged. “Beats me… I don’t even understand a bit of it!”

Garr shook his head as he turned towards his companions. “The Goddess will not come. We shall have to free the woman – Deis is her name – and to do so, we have no choice but to seek Gaist.” He closed his eyes. “Like me… he is a Guardian.”

“A Guardian?” Nina blinked. “You mean just like you, Garr?”

He nodded. “Yes.” He sighed. “I know not what we are to do, but perhaps we should return to Urkan Tapa and inquire about Gaist.

“All right.” Rei rubbed the back of his head. “I still don’t get it though.”

“Pukyu…” Peco said.

They began their descent down the stairway, towards the exit. Nina glanced over a shoulder at Ryu and saw that he was lagging behind, a hand on his head, a pained look on his face.

“What’s wrong, Ryu?” she asked softly, walking to his side. “You look pale…” Concerned, she pushed his shoulders gently to make him sit on the steps to rest, and sat beside him.

“Nina… I…” Indecision flickered in his eyes, hesitation halting his words, but soon he continued, “I don’t think I’ve told you this before, but…”

“What is it…?”

He hesitated for a moment further. “…there were a few times when I had… flashbacks, I guess you could call it that… but the problem is…” He shook his head slowly. “They don’t add up at all…”

She felt puzzled. “What do you mean?”

He gazed upward at the sky, a faraway look in his eyes. “I remember I once stayed in a village as a teenager, with an older sister called Sara…” He lowered his head and sighed. “But I was in Dauna Mine all those years, until Garr found me… so how did I get this memory…?”

“It’s really strange…” She placed a hand gently on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

He rubbed his forehead furiously, trying to ease the pain. “On top of that, each time I remember something like that, I start getting a headache whether I like it or not… like now…”

“You mean… you know who the woman earlier was?”

Sighing again, he shook his head slowly. “No, not really… all I know is she’s someone who helped me a lot in the past…”

“I see…” She didn’t know what to say to cheer him up, and she felt just as confused as he was.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, slowly standing up. “I’m feeling better now, so let’s catch up to the others.”

She got to her feet as well. “Are you sure? Do you want to rest some more?”

He smiled slightly. “I’m sure. Don’t worry about me, okay?”

Relieved now, she returned his smile. “Okay.”

 

* * *

 

The very next morning, Garr strode purposefully into the Urkan Patriarch’s chamber, with the group following quietly behind him, and knelt respectfully before the meditating old man.

“…Guardian Garr?” Sudama called, his blind eyes gazing forward. “What is it? Your mission is over, there is no longer evil in this world.”

“Venerable Patriarch…” The winged man paused, as though finding the right words to say. “…the Goddess appeared not before me…”

“That is because you still have doubt in your heart!” Sudama cried, waving a hand. “You must free yourself from your doubts!” He shook his head slowly, sadly. “Unless you wish to become like Gaist…”

“Oh Venerable One… where does Gaist dwell now?” When the elder gave him a strange look, he quickly said, “Pray tell, oh Patriarch! I must meet with Gaist before I can release myself of any doubts!”

He didn’t answer, looking thoughtful, but soon parted with the answer reluctantly. “…beyond the cave by the sea to the west, there lies a forsaken village. There lives a Guardian who has given up fighting…”

“A cave to the west?”

He nodded. “But you cannot allow yourself to become like Gaist, Guardian Garr, keep your faith! Do not doubt the wisdom of the Goddess!”

“Yes… certainly, Patriarch Sudama…” Despite giving that reply, he still seemed rather doubtful, but nonetheless, he got to his feet and bowed in respect before leaving the chamber.

“A cave by the sea…” Rei swished his tail as he thought, once they had left Urkan Tapa behind them. “Do you know where it is?”

Garr nodded. “I once received directions to the cave before, though I have travelled there not.”

“At least it’s something!” Momo remarked. “Let’s go then, while it’s still daylight!”

 

* * *

 

Unlike Rhapala’s golden beaches, the southern Urkan coast had rocky cliffs, with large silver birds filling the skies with screeches as they flew around the cliffs. The Guardian led the group along the rocky southern coast, towards the west, though halfway through the day, they had to stop and wait two hours for the tide to subside before they could cross a particular part of the cliffs. By the time they had arrived at the aforementioned village, it was already late evening.

The village – which was simply called Cliff – was, unexpectedly, just a series of small caves by the sea, with only two cabins in the centre. Every man and woman there, as Ryu observed, had a rough, cunning look on their faces, like those of criminals… which reminded him of Genmel. Garr explained that this so-called village was home to outcasts, runaway criminals and other people who didn’t fit elsewhere.

As they stepped into the village, they encountered a shabbily dressed man, and the Guardian asked about Gaist’s whereabouts. The man answered and pointed towards the small cave at the end of the village… but Ryu, however, didn’t like how his beady eyes kept staring at Nina with a cunning, hungry look. Still, in order not to cause any trouble, Ryu refrained himself from the urge to withdraw his weapon and strike him down, no matter how much he disliked the thought.

Some time later, they arrived at the small cave that they were directed to, which they found to be barely decorated – a pair of braziers stood several feet from each other next to a thin brown mat that covered the centre of the floor, a furnace stood on one end of the cave and a table leaned against the wall on the other.

Sitting on the mat was a thin man, with features unmistakably similar to Garr’s. He had light brown skin, the same Dragon-like head with four blue horns on his head, small bat-like wings and similar clawed feet. He was much smaller than Garr, only taller than Ryu by an inch or two, and he wore blue pants that had been patched numerous times. One might just mistake him as Garr’s younger brother.

He was carving a little wooden puppet when the group arrived, his back towards them. He merely spoke in a gruff voice without turning, “Who’s there?”

Garr approached his brethren, his voice quiet. “It has been a long time… Gaist.”

He stopped at once and glanced over a shoulder at him. “…Garr?” His eyes were narrowed with suspicion.

“Why do I feel like this isn’t exactly a very brotherly reunion?” Rei muttered under his breath.

Nina shook her head.

“So, finally someone comes searching for me…” Gaist set his tools down and stood up, stretching his wings. “What do you want? I doubt you’re just here for a little chat.”

The larger Guardian stayed silent for a moment before replying, “Before that, Gaist, there is someone you should meet.”

“Oh? It’s rare for you to introduce someone to me.” He faced them, gazing at each of them one-by-one.

“This is Ryu…” Garr gestured to one of his companions. “…possibly the last of the Dragonkin.”

Gaist’s eyes widened in shock, his blue eyes focused on Ryu.

Ryu drew back uneasily, finding himself unable to gaze straight at him with his fierce eyes focused on him.

Soon, the smaller Guardian recomposed himself. “...well, I didn’t expect this, Garr… you brought a progeny of the Brood here to see me?”

He nodded curtly, his eyes dull with remorse. “At the Goddess’ command, we mercilessly killed the Brood…” He lowered his eyes. “I… wish to know if it had been the right thing to do, and he is the key to the answer…”

“Are you still sprouting that nonsense?” he scorned, shaking his head. “If you doubt the word of the Goddess, you should just run away… like I did.”

Garr could find no words to answer him.

“What were you thinking, anyway? Bringing him here like this?” Gaist waved a hand as he spoke. “You want to help him avenge the Brood?! He’s just one little boy! What do you think he can do all alone?!”

_All alone… all alone…_

These two words rang loudly through Ryu’s mind, once again reminding him that he would never see any of his family again. He bowed his head, despair washing over him.

Nina saw this and raised her voice, stepping towards the two Guardians. “He’s not alone! He’s got me, and he’s got all of us!!”

Gaist glanced at her. “Tch, he’s still the last of the Brood. The only one left.” He turned to his brethren. “So, Garr, why did you bring him here?”

“I wish to know the truth…” Garr shook his head, his eyes sorrowful. “Why? Why must the Brood die?”

He flung his arms in the air in exasperation. “Bah!! You haven’t changed at all, Garr, asking those stupid questions…” He sat down once again and picked up his tools, his back towards them. “Anyway… what does the high-and-mighty Garr want with me? To recruit me for your little cause?”

“No… I will ask that not of you if you are unwilling.” Back to his usual self, he continued, “We wish to free Deis… only then can we meet with the Goddess.”

“Deis, eh? Well, I suppose I’m the right one to talk to about that…” He paused, thinking deeply, then he stood up once more and faced them. “All right, I’ll help you. But before I do–” He pointed a finger at Ryu. “–I want to have a little chat with our Dragon friend here…” He turned his eyes over the others. “…alone.”

“What?” Ryu said.

“…all right.” Garr spun around, nodding towards the rest of his companions, and left the chamber.

Rei shrugged and Momo nodded, then both of them left, with Peco bouncing after them. Nina gave him a quick smile before she, too, left, leaving Ryu alone with the smaller Guardian.

After a few silent seconds, Gaist started, “I’m sure you heard from Garr about how we Guardians fought the Brood…” He closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. “…we killed countless Dragons… something I feel really bad about now…”

Ryu nodded understandingly. _He’s like Garr in that sense…_

He shook his head slowly. “But, it’s all over and done with.” He gazed at the young man intently. “Unless you want to dig up all those skeletons of the past.”

“…I…” He bowed his head. “…I don’t intent to seek revenge… I just want to find out about the truth… what exactly happened…”

“That’s what I thought… that’s the way the Brood always were.”

He was surprised. “R-really…?”

He nodded. “Even though they had such power, they didn’t fight back…” He turned away, facing the furnace. “The world thinks it was the Brood who started the war… but they didn’t…” He clenched his fist. “We hunted them down and killed them.”

The young man froze, as memories of blood and fire flashed across his mind, a dull ache once again forming in his head.

_No… they were…_

_MASSACRED._

That word roared itself in his mind, over and over.

“Eventually…” the Guardian continued, his voice filled with remorse and regret. “I couldn’t take it any longer, so I ran away…” He shook his head. “Garr kept his faith in the Goddess and fought to the end… but I bet somewhere deep in his heart, he had his doubts.”

“I… see…”

He spun around towards him again. “So you see, it’s not that I don’t understand what he’s feeling… I was just never as serious as he is.” He waved a hand in the air. “I don’t care about the Goddess or the truth. It’s too much trouble for me to bother with, you know? That’s why I want you to think this over.” He sat down on the mat, grabbing his tools, his back towards him. “And, if you’re really serious… if you really want to do this… come back here alone. Take as much time as you need.”

He nodded. “Um… okay.”

Gaist swung a hand in the air. “All right, now get outta here.”

“…thank you.” Not wanting to defy this Guardian, Ryu immediately obeyed, heading back outside.

A short distance from the cave, on a small cliff, his companions were waiting for him. When he neared, they looked up and approached him, curious to see what Gaist had said to him.

“What happened in there, Ryu?” Nina questioned him first.

“Nothing much really…” he replied, rubbing his head. “He wants me to think this over. If I’m really serious about learning the truth, he wants me to see him again, alone.”

“What?” Rei shook his head. “Why does he want to do that?”

“Hm…” Garr held his chin in his hand, deep in thoughts. “I believe Gaist wishes to test you, Ryu.”

Momo blinked. “Huh? How do you know that?”

“As long as I have known him, Gaist acts not until he is convinced it is what he has to do.” He gazed at the blue-haired man intently. “Perhaps he wishes to know how serious you are in your search for truth… how far you will go for it.”

Ryu lowered his head. “I see…”

“Your strength… the blood in your veins… your desire to know the truth… the truth behind the Goddess and this war…” He crossed his arms. “Is it enough to convince Gaist?”

“I…” He turned away, gazing at the surface of the rolling sea.

Did he truly want to know the truth? To learn why he had such destructive powers? To find out why his brethrens were mercilessly slaughtered? Or did he just want to forget he was a Dragon and just live like an ordinary person all his life? To run away from it just like Gaist did?

Part of him encouraged him to escape, to not learn about the truth at all… yet another part of him wanted badly to find out what exactly happened five hundred years ago.

Then, he remembered Sara… the voices of Deis and Ladon in the past… how Ladon had always assisted him…

…and a deep feeling, a feeling he was here to serve a purpose, rose from within him.

The reason why he survived the massacre, why he was the last Dragon, was to fulfil this purpose.

There was only one way to discover what this purpose is.

“I… must know the truth,” he answered quietly. “Why we, the Brood, are this powerful, and why the Goddess wants to destroy us…” He faced his companions once more. “This is something Garr and I must know, but all of you are in this just as much as we are… we all deserved to learn the truth.”

Nina smiled. “Ryu…”

Garr smiled slightly. “It gladdens me to hear that, Ryu.”

Ryu nodded, suddenly feeling fearful, suddenly weary.

_I want to know the truth… but somehow, I’m also afraid of learning about it…_

As soon as she saw this, Nina immediately shook her head. “Why don’t you go and see Gaist tomorrow morning instead? Even if you want to know the truth, you should be mentally and physically prepared for it.”

“She’s right.” The half-tiger shrugged. “I mean, no point getting all fired up about it but failing the test because you’re tired, right?”

“Don’t worry!” Momo said cheerfully. “I’m sure everything could wait one more day while you rest!”

Smiling, the winged man nodded. “They speak the truth, you do need to rest.”

“Pui pui!” Peco agreed, jumping up and down.

“Huh? But…” Ryu shook his head.

“Being a bad boy, eh?” Grinning slyly, Rei folded his striped arms across his chest. “You don’t want to be blasted with Momo’s cannon, do you?”

Upon hearing that, Momo grinned and whipped out her weapon, aiming it at Ryu. “Don’t forget it hurts!”

“And don’t forget about me!” Nina cried, waving her now-glowing wand.

“Whoa!” He jumped back and quickly said, “Okay, okay, I’ll rest tonight and see him tomorrow!” He shook his head, grinning. “There, happy now?”

Rei gave him a thumbs-up. “Yeah, perfectly happy!”

And everyone laughed.

Ryu felt at ease now, knowing that his companions still treated him equally despite the fact that they knew he was a Dragon… he certainly had great friends, and he would have to repay them someday.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Gaist was, once again, carving the puppet, except that it now clearly had the shape of a Dragon. He barely looked up when he heard Ryu’s footsteps echoing in the cave.

“Well then…” his gruff voice spoke. “Have you made up your mind?”

“Yes, I have.” The young man’s voice held quiet strength and confidence, a look of determination on his face. “I want the truth.”

The Guardian put down his tools. “Heh, I thought you’d say that, I had you figured as the serious type…” Slowly, he stood up and spun around, stretching his wings. “So, shall we begin?”

He nodded. “I’m ready.”

“All right then.” He gestured behind Ryu. “Stand there… between the two braziers.”

He blinked. “Huh? Okay.” Obeying, he walked over to the bright braziers and stood between them, wondering if he was going to take part in a ceremonious spell-casting.

Gaist nodded. “That’s fine.” With that, he grabbed a great halberd that stood against a nearby wall. “All right now… this may seem old-fashioned to you, but it’s the only thing I know how to do, all right?”

Suddenly, sparkling embers came from the flames on the braziers and travelled in a stream towards the Guardian, circling him.

“W-what…?” Ryu muttered, taking a step back.

“I need you to fight me, Dragon!” he cried, and gave a ferocious roar as he threw his head upwards.

In a flash of light, suddenly Gaist was no longer there, but in his place was a gigantic red humanoid demon, at least three times his original size. Large dark horns pointed frontward from his head, great crimson wings spread from his back, and green eyes gleamed as they glared onto his target.

Ryu stared at him in horror. “N-no…”

“No time to gape like that!” the demon growled as he struck with a gigantic fist.

He jumped back, avoiding it easily. “No! I don’t want to fight you!”

“Get into your Dragon form and fight back!” He attacked with the other fist. “If you don’t, then I see no reason to help you free Deis!!”

He leaped sideways, the attack missing him, but a look of despair showed clearly on his face. “I don’t want to use this power to hurt anyone… but…” He drew back, his body shining a dazzling white light as he closed his eyes. “I guess I have no choice.”

Gaist roared as he lashed out again, though the moment his fist was inches away from his target, a flash of light covered the cave, momentarily blinding him. But when his eyesight restored, he realised with a start that Ryu was no longer there… but above him!

In reflex, the demon threw a wave of crimson white flames towards him, very similar to Ryu’s own Flame Breath, but Ryu flicked easily out of the way, much faster than the flames could travel. If the young man was still in his human form, he would certainly burn to his death, but now he was in his Warrior Dragon form, fast and versatile, and that meant that he had more than enough power to counter.

But he did not. There was an opening for a fraction of a second as Gaist stopped breathing flames at him, but he did not take the offensive. He merely floated in midair, his eyes narrowed, awaiting the next attack.

Gaist took the hint and sent everything he had at him; punches, flame breath, Fire-elemental spells, halberd thrusts… everything missed. Ryu evaded each one with resolute calmness on his human face, his golden hair billowing behind him, without a counter.

It was a power he refused to hurt people with, yet in order to free Lady Deis, he had to fight back…

And it was clear that Gaist was quickly losing his patience.

The demon roared furiously into the ceiling, his wings spread to the corners of his rocky chamber, and then unleashed the biggest wave of flames Ryu had ever seen.

Ryu jumped at the chance.

He, too, roared, the great cry of a magnificent being. His dark wings spread to his sides, like a great curtain of darkness. A bright blue light shielded him, like a grand serpentine creature sworn to protect its master.

And, as his arms thrust forward, a rage of frost and ice burst from his scaled, clawed hands, like a freezing explosion from a cold volcano.

Yet, the power was simply too strong for Gaist – his wave of flames was quickly pushed back by the sheer force of the Frost Breath, forcing him back against the wall of his cave. Determined to prevail, he held on with all of his strength, but he ultimately failed.

He roared in pain as the frost overwhelmed him, blanketing him with its shining white-blue colour. A mountain of ice formed around him, imprisoning him for a long second, then shattered into a million pieces in another burst of light, his voice echoing loudly along the cavern wall.

When both magical ice and light faded away slowly, he staggered backwards and collapsed onto his back, reverting back to his original form with his halberd fallen at his side.

Ryu’s golden eyes widened, and he rushed forward, also reverting to his human form. He had intended to strike when Gaist unleashed all of his might, hoping that his toned-down Dragon power would be offset by the flame wave and not hurt his opponent too much… had he underestimated his own strength?

Apparently so.

“Ugh…” Gaist groaned. “So this is… a Dragon’s true strength…”

Ryu knelt beside the Guardian, a worried expression, mixed with guilt, showing plainly on his face. “Are you… okay?”

To his surprise, Gaist chuckled softly. “Heh, if you stay that defensive all the time, you’ll never survive out there…”

He bowed his head. “I’m sorry… I just don’t want to hurt others with this power…”

“You’ll face a lot of difficulties with that kind of attitude…”

It was just then when all of his companions came running in, after hearing all the loud sounds, and they stared in horror at the smaller Guardian’s fallen form.

“Gaist…?!” Garr immediately rushed to his comrade’s side, with a look of panic that was quite unlike his usual calm self.

Nina, on the other hand, went to the azure-haired man. “Ryu! Are you okay? What happened?”

Ryu did not answer, his eyes focused on the floor.

“Don’t worry, young lady…” Gaist chuckled again. “Your Dragon friend here would emerge unscathed even against a whole battalion of us Guardians…”

Garr shook his head slowly. “This is… did you have to do this, Gaist…?”

“I’m afraid so, Garr…” He gazed at Ryu, his eyes growing serious. “Ryu… that’s your name, isn’t it…?” When he received a nod as a reply, he closed his eyes. “I need you to return to that Dragon form you took earlier… and freeze me with that same ice breath you did earlier.”

Everyone else gasped, and Ryu’s eyes widened in horror. “W-what…?!”

“What’re you saying?!” the half-tiger cried. “You’re asking him to kill you?!”

Nina shook her head quickly. “No! You can’t ask him to do that!!”

“Gaist…” The larger Guardian shook his head slowly.

“This is the only way… because you see…” Gaist heaved a sigh. “…the seal that keeps Deis trapped couldn’t be released… as long as I’m alive…”

Ryu gritted his teeth. “Even so… I…”

“Don’t feel bad about it… I died the day I became a Guardian… and besides…” He looked up at the blue-haired man. “During the war, I killed so many Dragons… it seems only fair that I in turn have my life taken by the Brood…”

“But…” Momo bowed her head. “To ask for death…”

“Ryu.” Gaist’s voice was firm. “Kill me now.”

Ryu drew back in fear. “N-no…”

“It’s the only way…”

“I-I won’t…!” _D-don’t ask me to kill someone!!_

Garr sighed softly. “Ryu…”

He shook his head quickly, his eyes shut tightly. “I… I-I won’t kill you!” _Please! Don’t!!_

Then, Gaist raised his voice with the last of his strength. “Ryu!! Do you not want to learn the truth?!!”

The young man sank to his knees, despaired. “…I-I…”

“Ryu…” the winged girl muttered.

Garr closed his eyes. “Ryu… would you rather let him suffer with his life full of regrets, pain and sorrow? Would you rather deny him of a chance to seek freedom?

Ryu turned his head towards the ground, clenching his fists tightly. He felt like crying, he simply did not know what to do…

_I… I don’t want to kill him…_

“ _Sometimes one doesn’t have a choice, Ryu…”_ Ladon’s voice whispered in his ear, a gust of wind blowing in the cave. _“But you’ll make him feel better if you do it.”_

_I-I can’t… please don’t make me…_

“ _Ryu… this is the very reason why he wanted you to think it through… you wanted the truth, didn’t you?”_

_I do… but this…_

“ _He has felt what you’re feeling now for nearly five-hundred years… it’s tormenting, isn’t it?”_

… _yeah… it is…_

“ _Then free him from it.”_ Ladon’s voice was not commanding. _“Free him from the pain and sorrow.”_

“…your wish is my command…” Ryu murmured, beginning to glow once again.

As his body was engulfed in a bright white light, his hair grew longer, claws appeared on his arms and legs, a tail swished behind him, and great wings spread from his back. Once the light faded away, his golden eyes still dull with despair, blue light surrounded his arms as a blizzard covered Gaist.

“…thank you… Ryu…” the smaller Guardian spoke, just as ice encased his clawed feet and spread up his legs. “I wonder… is this the power that the Goddess feared so much…? Or…” He gazed up at the ceiling, as the ice covered his waist. “…is the real power of the Brood the ability to make allies out of enemies…?”

“Gaist…” Garr shut his eyes, despair washing over his face.

He chuckled with a heavy tone, the ice spreading to his chest. “Too bad it had to be this way… I would’ve liked to go with you…” He gazed up at his brethren. “Garr… it’s up to you now…”

And then, he was fully encased in the ice.

Garr shook his head quickly. “Gaist…!!”

Then, the ice shattered in a flash of light, into a million pieces, and Gaist’s body turned into dust that was gradually blown away in a strong gust of wind.

Momo gasped. “No…”

Rei slammed a fist into the wall. “Dammit…”

Nina buried her face in her hands, trying to stop her tears from falling.

Peco remained still, as Honey, seated on him, shook her head sadly.

Ryu stayed quiet as he reverted to his human form, his eyes closed.

For a long time, all Garr did was to stay by the last remains of Gaist’s dust-turned body, stunned into silence, a pained expression on his face. When he finally did speak, his voice was close to a whisper.

“…all these years… he understood…” He slowly picked up the halberd his fallen brethren had left behind. “I had thought he was merely brushing my claims away… yet… it had been I who had never once understood him…”

Momo shook her head. “Garr…”

“…Gaist, you may have but continued on in body, but your spirit shall join us.” With that, the remaining Guardian gripped the halberd tightly and stood up, raising the weapon above his head. “With your Beast Spear, Gaist, we shall discover the truth together!!”

Just then, a strong gust of wind entered the cave, weaving unusually around the cliffs to enter the cave and caused the coals in the braziers to glow a red-hot crimson colour.

And they all felt the presence the wind brought along with it… the presence of the fallen Guardian.

Gaist.

Garr lowered the spear, gripping it with both hands, relief on his face. “Thank you… thank you, Gaist, for the chance to make amends with you… for understanding you not in the past.”

With that, he looked up at his companions – Ryu, Nina, Rei, Momo and Peco – who all nodded at him; they all understood what they had to do.

“Now, let us go…” His expression hardened. “Let us go to meet our elusive Goddess.”

“Yeah.” Ryu clenched his fist, fury gleaming in his cerulean blue eyes. “She has a lot of explaining to do.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s a notice: the next chapter is the time when I start deviating from the main storyline, i.e. the “truth”. But events that happen in the game, such as getting on the boat and travelling around, will still occur. I hope it goes well though, I’m a bit nervous. o_o


	24. Twenty-One: A Tale that Transcends Time

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Twenty-One: A Tale that Transcends Time**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

The silence was deafening throughout their two-day journey back to Angel Tower. Everyone was still shaken by the events that had unfolded in Cliff, their feelings further darkened by the black clouds that covered the sky as they arrived at the tower.

The watchmen blinked when they saw the whole group arriving again, but only greeted them without any questions when they approached. The Guardian nodded silently and strode past them, leading his companions around the side of the tower, instead of ascending the staircase as they had done previously, and descended another set of staircase leading underground. Not quite knowing what to expect, the others followed him apprehensively.

“Therein is but Deis’ imprisonment chamber,” Garr explained, his eyes focused forward.

As everyone gathered at the bottom of the steps, they observed their surroundings. The walls of the imprisonment chamber had similar designs to the ones in the interior of Angel Tower, with strange dark characters and patterns carved on moss green bricks. The square floor had similar patterns around its edge, framing cluster of plain green tiles.

And, in the centre of the room, was a pyramid of rainbow light, its light flashing brightly in the otherwise dark room. Inside, a woman lay as though sleeping, her long blue hair spread on the ground around her like a fan, and there was nary a piece of clothing on her.

Nina gasped.

Ryu turned away quickly, his face a bright crimson colour.

“Holy damn!” Rei exclaimed as he turned around completely, turning red. “Why didn’t you guys put some clothes on her before you imprisoned her?!”

“But it does make you wonder if she’s cold in there…” Momo commented.

The others stared at her.

Garr, his expression unreadable, merely gazed at the pyramid barrier.

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light, making everyone but Garr step back, as sparks shot out from the base of the barrier, and again as the pyramid began rotating. It moved slowly at first, then faster and faster, spinning furiously, as the flashes of light grew more and more frequent. Faster and faster, brighter and brighter… then abruptly, the light stopped and the pyramid faded away.

Deis, suddenly finding herself free, rose slowly to her feet, stretching, and tested her limbs by clenching and unclenching her fists with a blank expression on her face. When she was satisfied, she turned towards the group and gestured towards Garr.

“Guardian…” she spoke, with the same soft voice they had heard at the top of Angel Tower days ago. “Come closer…”

The winged man, evidently surprised, obeyed without questions and approached her slowly. As he drew closer, she smiled sweetly, looking as though she was about to kiss him for freeing her…

Or not.

No sooner than he was a foot away from her, the smile disappeared, replaced by a look of seething anger, of utmost fury. She gave a cry as she leaned forward and punched him hard on the stomach, followed by a fury of punches. Her strength was unfathomable; Garr, who was well-known for his great endurance, was actually reeling from the hits. He was even knocked off his feet with an uppercut to his jaw and sent flying to the wall with a great kick to his chest.

His companions gasped, shocked by the sudden outburst. They stared first at the Guardian, then at the woman they had freed.

She was someone they would never want to double-cross.

“You big oaf! You bone-headed Guardian!!” she yelled as she straightened, her fists still clenched. “What did you think you were doing, entombing me in this temple for four hundred years?!” She punched a fist into the other hand furiously. “I’ve half a mind to BLAST you into oblivion!!”

Garr said nothing as he got slowly to his feet, rubbing his sore jaw.

“So.” Calmer now, she crossed her arms. “I guess the fact that you’ve released me shows that you’re finally willing to listen to what I have to say?”

“I…” he started, approaching her once more.

Abruptly, she punched him hard on the stomach. “It’s TOO LATE, idiot!!”

This time he withstood it, standing firm while he took the hit, an expression of regret and remorse on his face, tinted with quiet determination.

She gazed at him, leaning a hand on her waist, smirking. “Well, maybe you’re not completely hopeless… but you do know what you did wrong, don’t you?”

Garr did not reply.

“Well, in case you forgot–” She raised a hand forward. “–let’s refresh our minds on what I tried to tell you, shall we?”

Another bright light filled the room as images and voices entered everyone’s mind.

 

* * *

 

_Garr impaled his weapon into the lungs of an adolescent Dragon, unflinching at its strangled roar as it collapsed onto the ground, lifeless. Just a few feet away, Gaist mercilessly slashed at a tiny Dragon whelp, and then at the throat of its mother._

“ _What have you done?!!” a voice shrieked._

_Both Guardians turned, wondering who it was, and they saw a blue-haired woman, with the tail of a snake instead of legs, approaching them._

“ _What do you think you’re doing?!” she shouted at them, swinging an arm in anger. “You idiots!! MORONS!!”_

_Garr shook his head slowly. “Our Goddess has told us that they are wicked and evil, that is why–”_

“ _And you never thought she might be wrong, you imbecile?!” She pointed a finger at them. “I’ll take you to meet your fool Goddess!!”_

“ _Deis!” Gaist cried, aiming his spear at her. “Show more respect for our Goddess, or else!”_

 

* * *

 

Ryu blinked as the voices faded away. A headache did not plague him with this memory from the past, so it had to be Deis’ memory…

“If each and every last member of the Brood is dead, all would’ve been lost,” Deis spoke, her voice bringing him back to reality, and turned towards him, smiling. “But at least you’re still alive, Ryu.”

With a start, Ryu realised that she was just standing in front of him. He quickly shut his eyes, his cheeks growing hot. “L-Lady Deis, please at least p-put some clothes on…”

She laughed. “I told you so many times to just call me Deis! No need for all the formalities!” Crossing her arms, she gazed at him. “You haven’t changed much all these years, have you, Ryu?”

Nina seemed upset when she saw her too close to Ryu, and she lodged herself between them. “W-wait, you know him?”

She stepped back to put some space between them, chuckling lightly. “Of course I do! Which Dragon wouldn’t know him?” She shook her head. “Though technically I’m not exactly a Dragon, but that doesn’t matter, does it?”

“Deis,” Garr called, still looking serious. “What of the… Goddess?”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “She still wouldn’t come to see you, Guardian. But first things first.” She waved a hand in the air. “The spirits of the fallen Dragons are too strong here, so we need to go someplace else.”

“But where?” Rei asked.

She pointed towards the west. “There should be a cave at the base of the volcano west from here, I’ll meet you there.” She winked at Ryu. “You know where it is, so it shouldn’t be any trouble to you, should it, my little Dragon?”

“N-n-no, I d-don’t think so…” Ryu stammered, desperately trying to keep his eyes tightly closed and not to look at her.

She laughed again as she began to glow. “It’s still so fun to tease you, Ryu!”

With that, she transformed into a sphere of pale yellow light, which shot through the walls of the chamber, towards the west.

Nina folded her arms across her chest, still looking rather upset. “I wish she would wear some clothes, or at least stop parading around like that!”

The older girl shook her head, looking at her in surprise. “Um, Nina… why are you upset?”

“I… I’m not upset!”

Rei rubbed the back of his head. “Man… doesn’t this just beat all?”

Peco appeared confused. “Pyu?”

The Guardian only looked on, without saying a word.

 

* * *

 

That night, despite after a whole day’s worth of journeying, Ryu found that he could not sleep. He was tired, certainly, but apparently not enough to sleep, even after a short walk outside.

Breathing in the cool night air, he sat on a large boulder, leaning back and watching the full moon glowing secretively in the starry sky. All the time he was awake that day, his thoughts kept on wandering to the fact that he would soon meet the Goddess and learn the truth from someone that he knew in the past. Every time he thought of it, it brought a feeling of nervousness, excitement and doubt inside him.

The answer to who he was. Why he had so many memories that did not add up together. Why he had such great power. Why he survived when other Dragons did not.

The answer to his purpose.

“Couldn’t sleep, Ryu?” Nina’s sweet voice startled him out of his thoughts.

“Huh?” He turned, seeing Nina standing beside the boulder he was sitting on. “Oh, yeah. For some reason I couldn’t, so I came out.”

“I see, me too.” With the gracefulness of a swan, she leaped lightly onto the boulder and sat beside him. “It’s probably because we’re going to learn everything tomorrow.”

He nodded. “I think so too.” He closed his eyes as a gentle breeze waved in and out of their hair. “After so long, I’m finally going to find out who I really am…”

She smiled, leaning a little closer to him. “I’m really glad. It means you won’t feel so lost anymore.”

Suddenly very aware of the closeness between them, Ryu felt his cheeks burning, though he tried not to show it. He had always known that Nina was someone special to her, even from the start when he first met her, but he still did not know why he felt this strong attraction for her.

_But… it’s a nice feeling…_

Upon getting that thought, he felt even more embarrassed and reacted by suddenly standing stiffly, nervousness overwhelming him.

Nina was startled. “Huh? Ryu?”

“N-Nina,” he stammered, not looking at her. “I think we should h-head back in, it’s getting k-kind of late.”

“Um, okay…” She sounded a little disappointed.

With that, he took a step back towards the tent, but in his haste and nervousness, he had completely forgotten that he was on top of a large boulder and ended up marching OFF it.

The result was, of course, a loud thud as he landed hard on the ground with a yell.

“Ryu!” Nina, a little frantic, leaped off the boulder to his side. “Oh my goodness, are you okay?!”

“Y-yeah, I’m okay, Nina… I just stumbled…”

And, some distance away, hiding behind another large boulder were their companions.

“Geez, that idiot!” Rei slapped his forehead in exasperation. “He had the perfect chance and he didn’t do it!!”

“Pui pui!!” Peco cried, jumping up and down excitedly.

Honey shrugged and shook her head, also in exasperation.

Momo thought hard. “So it means they like each other, but Ryu wouldn’t tell her?”

The half-tiger nodded. “More like he keeps fumbling up and missing his chances.” He rubbed his head. “Dammit! How dense could he be?!”

“Perchance more awareness can be summoned…” Garr turned and began to stride back towards the tent. “Because it seems they are but returning.”

“What?!” Rei took a glance and quickly ushered the rest back. “Quick, get inside and pretend to be asleep or something!”

After some great but silent hustle and bustle, the others made it into the tent in time to make it look as though they had been sleeping all along, while Ryu and Nina were outside.

Both of them certainly had no idea what exactly were going on in the minds of their companions.

 

* * *

 

The excitement that occurred last night was quickly forgotten, however, for half a day later, they soon arrived at the Rhapalan end of the road around Mt. Zublo. All that remained on their minds was their soon-to-come meeting with their Goddess, and that their journey would soon end.

Their journey would soon end… that fact had a sad ring to it.

“Okay, we’re here,” Momo said, as they stepped down from the stone path around Mt. Zublo. “But where is it?”

“You do know where it is, right, Ryu?” Nina asked, turning towards him. “I mean, Deis did say that you do…”

The young man hesitated for a moment before replying, “I think so, I’ve been in the cave once before, when we passed by ten years ago… I’m pretty sure it’s called the Cave of Ages.”

The half-tiger swished his tail. “Well, it really beats me how you know things that we don’t…”

He smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, it beats me too.”

The double doors to the volcano shrine were wide open, as though to welcome them with open hands, and inside, the stone Dragon statue watched them majestically, like a wealthy host of a party greeting his guests. The dark green tiles of the floor led to the grey stone wall at the end, dimly lit by blazing torches on the side walls. The strange characters carved onto the stone wall were incomprehensive to them, but for Ryu, it was something he found familiar.

“Is this the place?” Rei asked.

Momo shook her head. “But… there’s nobody here.”

Ryu nodded. “This is the place, although…” Slowly, he strode towards the grey wall at the back. “…her room’s beyond this wall.”

The princess went to his side. “Behind? How do we get there?”

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded towards his companions. “It’s quite simple – all we have to do is to touch these nine characters and read them aloud. Like this…” He ran a hand along a particular string of characters, then spoke firmly and clearly, his voice echoing in the small room. “Deis _vorastrix_ _urathear_ _ocuir_ , _gethrisj persvek arideisokarthel_!”

To everyone’s surprise, wisps appeared from the wall and circled them, like spirits guiding them to the next world. A bright light came from the wall, forcing them to cover their eyes as a gentle power washed over them. A strange sensation came over them, as though they were floating in midair, and after a moment, their feet touched ground once more.

When they opened their eyes, they saw that they were no longer in the small shrine, but in a room so dark that there was no way to tell how big it actually was. The only visible spot they could see was a small square raised platform before them, which was mysteriously lit by an unseen lantern.

A dull ache formed in Ryu’s head, just as he recalled memories of this place.

_I’ve… been here before… here as an adult, speaking to Lady Deis… but she’s been imprisoned for four hundred years, so how’s that possible…?_

“Goddammit, Ryu!” Rei exclaimed, shaking him from his thoughts. “Whatever you did back there, can’t you at least warn us first?!”

Embarrassed, Ryu replied quickly, “Sorry!”

“But wow, what was that you did, Ryu?” the princess asked, awed.

He half-shrugged. “Nothing really… I just spoke in ancient Dragon tongue… but since it’s so old, even I don’t remember what it means anymore.”

At that very moment, Deis’ voice resonated in the darkness.

“Ah, there you are, my little Dragon…” she said, sounding like a doting parent upon the return of her child, as she stepped into the light.

This time her long blue hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and she wore violet clothes that exposed her stomach and shoulders. However, instead of legs, she had a long snake-like tail with gleaming green scales, which made her slither rather than walk, yet she still stood straight like a perfectly ordinary human.

“I hope you didn’t find it too hard to come here,” she remarked lightly.

Ryu was not exactly surprised to find that she was not human. He remembered now that this was exactly what she usually looked like. His partners, when they laid their eyes on her, however, were stunned.

“W-what are you?!” Rei exclaimed, his eyes wide. “Snake woman?!”

She chuckled at his surprise. “Well, you could say I’m something like a Dragon, though I’m not technically one. Don’t worry about it, this is what I really look like, so I’ll leave it at that.” She slithered easily onto the raised platform. “You see, in that form earlier, the one I was imprisoned in… I’m not able to fully utilise my powers.” She faced Ryu. “You remember that, don’t you?”

Ryu nodded. “I do, but…” He shook his head slowly, hesitating.

He had been searching for answers, ever since he lost Rei and Teepo in that incident ten years ago… however, now that he was faced with the chance to finally gain some answers, he had no idea how to ask the questions he had been wanting to for a long time.

He closed his eyes.

… _I must… learn the truth… why I’m here…_

He took a deep breath and looked up firmly at Deis.

Deis’ expression was serious, as though she knew he had something to ask.

“Lady Deis… I really don’t understand what’s going on… even though I know I haven’t met you before… even though you’ve been imprisoned before I was even born…” He shook his head. “Why? Why do I already remember you?” He lowered his head, despair washing over him. “Not only that, I… I remember things I know I haven’t done… memories that don’t add up with what happened to me…”

Nina placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, concerned. “Ryu…”

Deis’ expression was unreadable. “I thought you might ask that very question the moment you came…” She gazed at Ryu. “You do know it hurts every time you remember something, don’t you? If you were to remember everything at once… the pain will be unimaginable.”

The young man bowed his head and closed his eyes. “…I…”

Her eyes grew serious. “Knowing that, are you truly ready to hear the answer?”

“I… I want to know everything… why the Goddess started the war… why I survived… why I have this power…” Ryu clenched his fists as he burned with determination. “What my purpose is.”

His companions remained silent, waiting for the answer in anticipation.

Deis thought for a long time, looking as though she was debating to tell him or not. After some time, she finally nodded. “All right. You’ve come a long way in search of answers… it seems you’re prepared to do anything.”

Ryu nodded.

She raised a hand towards them, now glowing, and a blue wand materialised in her hand. As she waved it once, the star on its end began shining.

“W-whoa!” Rei cried, drawing back. “What are you going to do?!”

“It’s much easier to show you instead of tell you what happened years ago… it wouldn’t register well in your mind, tested and proven.” She raised the wand above her head. “So I’ll show you some memories. YAAH!!”

With that, a great burst of light shone from the star on her wand, obscuring all sight.

Then, images began to flood into their minds.

 

* * *

 

A beautiful world, of vast grassland covered in the warm sunlight, of azure mountains framing the distant horizon. A world that has known no strife, a world of everlasting happiness. A paradise humans had not known.

Gods’ Realm.

A home to beings of power, beings of immortality, beings of eternal youth. Beings that humans could never hope to be compared to.

Gods. Goddesses.

Among these powerful beings, one stood out among the others. One goddess, whose golden hair shone in the sun, whose wings were as white as snow.

A goddess with the vision of conquering the human world.

She was merely a child, barely eight years of age if compared to a human’s life, and she had seen the human world.

And she wanted it.

Just as a child would desire a new toy upon setting eyes on it.

Her wants were so strong, she would gladly discard her immortality by setting foot in the human world.

And there she headed, her wings as white as snow, her hair as golden as the sun.

But she had no compassion for these humans. They were merely her new playthings; to her, they were as lifeless as dolls.

She tried many methods of letting herself known as the goddess, the leader of the world, yet, even as a full month passed, they would not call her one.

She was but a mere child with wings, after all; they would revere her as a magical being, but not a goddess.

Then, in a fit of anger, she released a gigantic ball of energy towards the earth, shattering and incinerating a whole down with one blast. Countless people died, barely any survived.

And a wave of shock resonated around the world.

Satisfied with her results, she began to do the same with a few more towns. If destruction would make them accept her as their ruler, so be it.

And it was fun to see how easily the human towns could be destroyed, to see the extent of her power.

She was given the name, the Goddess of Destruction.

The beings of Gods’ Realm, upon seeing her actions, were stunned into silence, but they would not lift a finger to change it.

It was forbidden for these beings to meddle in the affairs of the human world – and they were afraid to intervene for fear of losing their power and immortality. They would rather let the human world be conquered than to reduce themselves to mere humans.

But not the Brood.

The Brood, a race of gods with the power of transformation, to take on the forms of magnificent beasts they call Dragons.

They were infuriated to see the powerless, innocent humans become the playmate of an uncompassionate goddess. Enraged.

Like how the Goddess of Destruction embraced mortality to conquer a world, the Brood embraced mortality to protect the world from her.

With a cry of fury, they transformed into Dragons and crossed the border of the two worlds in great numbers, like birds of flight migrating across countries.

Only one remained in Gods’ Realm.

Ladon, the last of the Dragon Gods. The leader of the Dragons, with his hand guiding his clan to victory.

And it was by his guidance that the Dragons began the first war with the Goddess of Destruction.

The Goddess War.

Day after day, month after month, year after year. The Brood fought relentlessly against the Goddess, to prevent any further destruction of the human world.

The humans, grateful to their saviours, then called them their gods.

The Goddess was furious. _She_ was the goddess to the world, not _them_.

But the damage was done. The humans would rather take arms against her than to join her. The Dragons were their gods.

This sparked a rage in the Goddess. Unable to contain her emotions, she unleashed all of her power upon the world.

If the world was denied from her… then she would destroy it.

The Brood drew back, yet a great number of them perished. Against the full power of the Goddess, they were unable to fight back, for she, even in Gods’ Realm, was one of the most powerful.

That was when Deis intervened.

Unlike the rest of the gods, she had chosen to fight. Alongside the Dragons, she had crossed the border to enter this world.

All to go against the Goddess.

With his power that transcended the border of the worlds, Ladon temporarily sealed the power of the Goddess, increasing her vulnerability.

With the combined power of both Deis and the Dragons, they sealed the Goddess away into oblivion.

And, with the Goddess of Destruction gone, the world was peaceful once more.

Deis and the Brood chose to remain in this human world, should there come a time to protect it from the Goddess once more.

But Ladon was worried. They had barely prevailed over the Goddess; would they be victorious against her should she rise once more?

It was for that reason that Ladon, with all of his power, summoned a warrior into the human world, to lead the Dragons and fight against the Goddess.

It was because of his leadership that the Brood prevailed against the Goddess in the subsequent wars, thus sealing her once again.

This had continued for thousands of years to come. There had been ten wars against the Goddess, with Ladon’s warrior leading the Brood for nine of those times.

And, among these long wars, the warrior had failed once.

Four hundred years ago, the end of the Dragon War.

 

* * *

 

As suddenly as it had begun, the images were swept away from everyone’s minds, causing them to stumble dazedly as though they had been hit by a huge object.

Garr was the first to speak, his voice trembling.

“…it had been the Dragonkin who had ignited not the war…” He lowered his head. “…it had been the Goddess…”

“I never knew that the history of the Dragons stretched further than just five hundred years ago…” Momo shook her head. “Does it mean they were here before the Techno Age?”

“Man…” Rei rubbed the back of his head. “It’s more complicated than I thought…”

“Pyu…” Peco said.

“Ryu?” Nina called, moving to his side. “You’ve been quiet…”

“All of this…” Ryu closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. “…they’re all so familiar… but I don’t remember any o–”

Suddenly, his eyes widened as partial memories attacked his mind. With a cry of pain he fell weakly to his knees, his eyes shut tightly, his teeth gritted in pain.

Incomprehensive memories, all garbled together as though they had been thrown into a mixer, yet they were past memories that sent stabs of pain to his head.

None of it made sense to him.

“Ryu!” the princess exclaimed, kneeling by his side.

“H-hey, are you okay?!” Rei cried.

Momo shook her head. “Ryu!”

While Ryu’s companions were panicking over him, Deis slithered off the platform and approached him. She raised a hand towards the others, gesturing towards them to quieten down, and she knelt in front of him.

“Ryu… there’s still one more thing I haven’t told you… do you still want to continue?” Placing her hands onto his shoulders, a look of worry and sadness washed over her face. “The pain is unbearable enough as it is, so if I continue, you may lose your mind…”

“…of course…” Through his gritted teeth, his voice was trembling with pain. “That’s what I came for… that’s what I wanted to do for so long…”

“…very well.”

She stood up and stepped away, turning her back to him so she would not have to see the pain he was in. For a moment her calm composure faltered, but she took a deep breath and remained firm once more, knowing what she had to do.

“Ryu, the warrior who defeated the Goddess since the Goddess War… was you.”

Pain.

He pressed his hand harder onto his temple, trying to suppress the pain.

_I’m… I’m Lord Ladon’s warrior…?_

Now he knew why he kept hearing voices from Lord Ladon… why the Dragon God had always guided him.

But why him…?

“This is your tenth life, Ryu, but…” Deis hesitated, he hand trembling. “…you’re not a real person…”

Pain.

_N-not a real… person…?_

Deis closed her eyes, faltering once more, but braced herself and continued. “…you’re part of Ladon, Ryu…”

He froze.

“… the embodiment of his power, given a consciousness.”

He trembled, both with pain and with shock.

“Your only purpose…” Deis spun around quickly, pain clearly on her face. “…is to defeat the Goddess!!”

His eyes wide in disbelief, his face ashen, his body began to shake violently.

Pain raged in his head.

_No… I-I… I’m real…! I… I…!!_

Then, at that very instant, like a volcano that had been suppressed for a long time, a stream of memories from his past nine lives erupted in his mind all at once.

Living in the village with his older sister Sara. Flying in the air as a Dragon, accompanying a formation of Great Birds. Searching for his missing sister Yua. Battling demons in the dead of the night. Sitting around a campfire with his companions, laughing, crying with them. Spreading his great wings, travelling through the air with his Dragon brethrens. Leading a great battalion of soldiers against another. Killing enemies against his will.

Rising against the great Goddess, the tip of his blade aiming for her heart.

The images flashed across his mind at high speed, one after another in a quick succession, the voices from the past all garbled together in their great haste. With each flash of memory, a pain greater than before shot through his head, and even as he gritted his teeth to endure it, the pain grew greater and greater, until it become unbearable.

Pain beyond comprehension.

And he could not take it anymore.

Screaming loudly, he doubled over in pain and held his head. His voice, filled with utmost agony, rang loudly through the dark room.

“Ryu?!” his companions exclaimed.

“Ryu! What’s wrong?!” Nina shouted in alarm.

But he was beyond hearing.

He raised his head upwards towards the ceiling, his hands pressed hard against his head, but still the stabbing pain remained. Again and again he screamed, his body thrashing about like a fish out of water, an expression of utter pain on his face.

The others cried out his name, looking frantically for a way to help him.

Then, a great burst of light filled the room. Ryu, still thrashing about with his hands at his head, took on his Warrior Dragon form, then immediately spun around and fled from the room with a roar.

“RYU!!” the winged girl cried and immediately pursued him, disappearing in another flash of light.

And a ferocious roar, a great roar that was filled with utmost pain, echoed in the deep darkness.

“Ryu! NINA!!” Momo yelled, her hand extended as though trying to catch them.

“Quick! After them!!” Rei cried, leaping forward.

Everyone made towards the exit in panic, but Deis’ voice froze them in their tracks.

“Stop.”

They turned slowly, facing her.

“Even if you go…” She shook her head slowly. “…there’s nothing you can do to help him now.”

“You mean…” Rei started, glaring at her. “We’re supposed to just stand here and do nothing?!”

“Yes… there’s nothing you can do.” She sighed softly, despair gleaming in her eyes. “It hurts him each time he recalls just a small piece of memory from one of his past lives… and now, he’s remembering every memory he has ever had before, all at one go…” She spun around, away from them. “…he’ll calm down after a while.”

“Deis…” Momo gazed at her. “He’s… like this every time you show him his memories, isn’t he…?”

“…yes, he was.” She closed her eyes. “Every single time.”

 

* * *

 

“Ryu!!” Nina shouted again, as she emerged from the small shrine. “RYU!!!”

All that replied her were roars of pain, roars that shook the very earth. Her eyes widened as she gazed into the sky.

Fear overwhelmed her.

Her companion, now a Force Dragon, was thrashing violently in the sky as he constantly threw jets of flames that burnt nothing but air. He flew about like a drunken creature, looking as though he was going to crash onto the earth like a meteor any time.

“No! Ryu!!”

She tried to run faster, watching him going further and further from her, wishing desperately that she could fly so that she could go to his side, right now when he badly needed it.

_Why…?! Why can’t I help him…?!_

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she continued running, following the Dragon towards the eastern coastal cliffs.

_He’s always been protecting me from everything… always… so why can’t I protect him from pain now?!_

Gasping loudly for breath, she began to slow down, but she refused to stop, refused to stop running towards him, refused to let him out of her sight.

_Ryu! Don’t go! Don’t leave me!!_

She skidded to a stop at the end of a high rocky cliff above the roaring sea, unable to go any further.

“RYUUUUUU!!!!” she screamed, the tears dripping down to the ground like sparkling morning dew.

She never knew if it was coincidence or if he actually heard her, because just then, he turned towards her, writhing in the air just above the cliff where she stood, and dropped like a rock. The moment he touched the ground, a great flash of light blinded her, and his human body lay sprawled right in front of her.

“Ryu!!” she exclaimed, kneeling at his side.

The young man was certainly in no shape to answer her – his eyes was still tightly shut in pain, his chest rising and falling in time with his quickened breathing, and cold sweat was trickling down his face.

He was clearly still in great pain.

“Oh, no… Ryu…” She held him tightly, tears dripping onto his shirt, afraid that he would suddenly slip away like sand. “What… what should I do…?”

Then, there was an abrupt but very swift rumble in the ground.

And again.

Was it just her imagination?

Glancing around quickly, as a low rumble filled the air, she realised in horror that the area of the cliff they were on was slowly crumbling, with cracks appearing the part that connected them to the rest of the continent. If she waited for too long, they would plunge fifty feet to their death.

“N-no! Ryu!!”

She got up, firmly holding him by the upper arms, and tried to drag him towards the safer area of the cliff. She pulled with all of her might, determined to protect him, just as he did for her.

But there was simply no time.

Her shrill shriek echoed around the southern coast as the cliff collapsed, tossing them downward towards the roaring sea that was eager to swallow them whole.

_Are we… are we going to die here like this…?_

She clung onto Ryu, burying her tear-filled face in his shoulder in fear.

… _no… I… I won’t let it end like this!!_

With a burst of fiery determination, she spread her small wings, trying to catch the wind with them.

_I won’t fail you! Not after what you’ve done for me!!_

But her wings were too small; she could only sustain her own weight with them. However, she refused to give up, she kept beating her wings even as they neared the surface of the dangerous sea… even as they neared their death.

“I… I WON’T LET YOU DIE!!!”

Just as she screamed those words, momentary strength flowed in her wings, and a great torrent of magical wind, fuelled by her desire to protect, rushed from beneath her, lifting them just a few inches towards the rock face… and they landed hard on a small ledge at its side.

And, a split second later, there was a loud splash as the crumbled cliff crashed into the sea.

Nina remained lying on top of Ryu for a while, breathing quickly from the adrenaline, but as soon as she realised what had happened, she sat up quickly, her eyes widening in disbelief.

“We… we’re safe?!”

They were certainly safe and sound, without even a scratch on them.

Letting out a shout of happiness and relief, she held him again, crying with joy. Ryu, however, was still apparently filled with great pain, for there was nary a reaction from him. Even so, she was so happy with the fact that they were safe that she did not mind the silence she received.

_I’m glad, Ryu… I’m glad you’re still with me…_

 

* * *

 

The rest of them sat on the floor at Deis’ chamber, waiting for both Ryu and Nina to return, but after an hour or two had passed, Rei stood up abruptly, his striped face filled with frustration, and strode towards the wall that would lead him outside.

“Rei,” the snake woman spoke, making him stop. “Where are you going?”

He spun around, glaring at her. “I can’t just sit here and wait! I’m going out to look for them!”

The Guardian rose immediately. “Agreed, we should. We know not what can occur with Ryu in that condition…”

Momo got to her feet as well. “I’m coming along too!”

After a moment of silence, Deis nodded her approval. “Yes, I think that’s the best course of action for now. I’ll stay here in case they come back.”

“All right.” Garr turned to the onion. “Peco, perhaps you should stay as well.”

“Puiiiiii!!” Peco objected right away, jumping up and down and stamping his little feet.

The red-haired girl shook her head. “I’ll bring him along with me, he could help to search too.”

“The more the merrier.” Rei’s eyes narrowed with worry. “We’d better search fast, I’ve a feeling that something happened to them…”

 

* * *

 

The area where Ryu and Nina had fallen to was just a small ledge at the rock face of the cliff, just fifteen feet above the sea level, just outside the mouth of the cave. That cave was rather small, enclosed with walls of grey stone on three sides, but with plenty of room for the princess to move around. There was even a tiny spring at the back of the cave, where she could get water to drink.

It took a long time for her to move Ryu into the cave, since her strength was barely sufficient, and after making sure that he was warm and safe there, she attempted to fly upward to see if she could find the others to help. However, her wings were too small and tired for her to fly further than a mere three feet, so she was forced to float back to the cave opening each time she tried to reach the top.

_It’s… too high… I can’t reach it…_

When she searched the edge of the cliff, she saw that there was another ledge nearby, a bigger one with several plants that looked like some sort of seaweed. Happy to find something burnable, she flapped her wings and leaped lightly there, picking a few of the leaves as a substitute for firewood.

Now that she was able to start a fire to warm the cave, there was that issue of food. There was no animal near them, and they were too high from the sea for her to try any form of fishing, even if she could. The only plants in the area were those seaweed-like plants she used to start the fire.

What was there to be done?

She glanced at Ryu, who still remained still, and made up her mind immediately. Easy or difficult, there was no question to what she had to do.

She would protect him, no matter what.

 

* * *

 

However, despite searching until it grew too dark for her to see, Nina was forced to return to the cave without finding any food. Her attempts to get help were futile as well, for no one answered her shouts from the top of the cliff. Disappointed and worried, she strode inside and sat down heavily, feeling rather worn out.

She knew she shouldn’t give up hope, but it was terribly difficult at a time like this.

_I… don’t know what to do…_

It was just that very moment a soft voice spoke.

“…Nina…?”

She jumped lightly in surprise, her eyes widening the moment she realised.

“Ryu!” she exclaimed. “You’re awake!”

True enough, Ryu was awake, his open eyes gazing dazedly at her from where he lay.

She smiled as she moved nearer to him, brushing his hair gently from his eyes. “How’re you feeling?”

He closed his eyes. “Confused… really confused…” His voice was soft, weary and weak. “I remember things, but everything’s all jumbled up… I don’t know what happened when… not even what happened recently…”

Her spirits fell, but she continued to smile reassuringly. “Don’t worry, just rest for now, okay?” Very gently, she raised his head and placed it on her lap, and raised the mouth of the water container to his lips. “Here, drink some water.”

He obeyed, drinking thirstily as though he had been lost in a desert.

When he was done, she covered the water container once more, setting it aside. “Just rest and don’t worry about anything, it’ll all come back to you soon.”

Nodding ever so slightly, he kept his eyes closed, his head still resting on her lap.

She continued watching him, as though she was the guardian to a child, and unconsciously her hand gently stroked his head.

“Ryu…” she murmured after a while.

He did not answer. Perhaps he had already fallen asleep.

As she watched him, she could not help but to feel that he seemed rather vulnerable this way, like a child that was unable to take care of himself.

_Ryu… you’ve always protected me… I always thought that you’re strong, but now… seeing you like this just makes me want to protect you from everything…_

She smiled.

_That’s… how you felt about me, when you protected me, didn’t you…?_

She continued to watch his chest rise and fall.

… _don’t worry, Ryu… I’ll take care of you… I promise…_

Leaning over, she embraced him lightly, with his head still on her lap.

“Ryu… I…” She closed her eyes. “I… love you…”

All the reply she had was the sound of his steady breathing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Drum roll and the ‘chiang!’ of a gong) And that’s the main deviation of my novelisation! Stunned? You should be… what was a quick scene with Deis became the heck of a long scene spanning two chapters… though the “truth” that she explains is just a slight variation of the BoF trilogy (BoF1, BoF2 and BoF3). :D
> 
> For the confused; Bleu in BoF1 is actually called Deis in the Japanese version (and yep, it’s the same person), and Tyr in BoF1 is actually Myria’s other name. (salutes) I did my research!
> 
> Oh, and in case you’re wondering what I made Ryu say before they could enter Deis’ chamber (he said: “Deis vorastrix urathear ocuir, gethrisj persvek arideisokarthel!”), it actually means “I am here to see Lady Sorceress Deis, allow me to enter her chamber!” in Draconic, the version by a person called Sean K. Reynolds, which I’ve gotten online. At least, I hope it means that when you translate back to English, my Draconic grammar is rather off. o_o


	25. Twenty-Two: Ship Troubles Again?

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Ship Troubles Again?**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

_Memories. Swirling around him like spheres of light._

_White light. Dark light._

_Suffocating._

_There were too many of them at once, surrounding him. Caging him. Chaining him with invisible bonds that weighted down on his heavy heart._

_It hurt._

_But each one of them had a story to tell. Of anger. Of sadness. Of duty._

_Of happiness._

_Nina._

_Yes, Nina was in nearly all of his memories. Some with long hair, some with different set of clothes than the red ones she usually wore. One even had black wings, instead of the white ones he was used to._

_But it was the Nina that he knew. He would always remember that face. The cerulean blue eyes shone with kindness, the golden hair that gleamed like silk._

_And it calmed him down. Reassured him._

_He closed his eyes, as the memory-filled spheres of light circled in the darkness, and he ran a hand across his forehead._

Think _, he thought._ Think. There must be a reason why I came here.

_Slowly he looked up, a sphere of light floating past his face._

…that’s right… I came here to sort them out. My memories.

_But he had no idea how._

_Despaired, he searched through the memories in hopes of finding a starting point, in hopes of a clue. However, none appeared; these memories were like pieces of different puzzles, hundreds of puzzles. He grew frantic, beginning to feel as though he would never be able to escape from this suffocating darkness._

_Then he remembered Nina._

_Nina, with her gleaming golden hair and cerulean blue eyes, her beautiful face that was so easy to remember. Even if she had different hair styles and wings in different memories, her face remained the same throughout the memories._

_All his despair ebbed away. He had discovered a way to sort them out._

_And he began working, with Nina to guide him._

 

* * *

 

It was two days of hard searching before Ryu and Nina were finally found and brought to Deis’ chamber. The azure-haired man was still unconscious, the look of pain etched on his face, and the princess was weakened to the point she was unable to muster enough strength to stand.

But they were safe. That was all that mattered.

Two more days passed as Nina recuperated. As soon as she was well enough, she started watching over Ryu all day long, like an overprotective guardian, and no amount of persuading would pull her away from him. So she just sat there, watching his chest rise and fall slowly as he breathed.

She hoped that he would wake up soon.

It was not long before her wish was fulfilled – by the end of the second day since she began watching him, Ryu stirred. He seemed rather dazed and confused, like a child thrown into an unknown world, as he slowly sat up and looked at her.

“Nina…?” he spoke, his voice hoarse from disuse.

“Oh, Ryu!!” The princess, overwhelmed by happiness, threw herself at him, holding him tightly as tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

He was surprised. “N-Nina? What’s wrong?”

“Ryu, I’m so glad you’re all right! You weren’t waking up for a long time, so I thought… I thought you’d…” A soft sob escaped her lips.

He closed his eyes, guilt weighing on his heart as he put his arms around her. “I’m sorry, Nina…”

For a short moment, they sat there in silence, save for Nina’s occasional sniffs. After having sorted some memories, Ryu now knew that he held a great affection for her, and this time he did not feel embarrassed holding her this close.

In fact, it felt right. As though it was meant to be.

Soon, Nina pulled away, wiping her eyes free of tears.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” she said softly. “I’m really glad you’re all right…”

He smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m really fine now. I don’t remember everything properly yet, but at least I’m not in such a mess now.”

“I’m glad.” Returning his smile, she asked, “Did you remember anything worth telling?”

“Well…” Hesitating a little, he shook his head. “Like I said, it’s still a lot of confusion. But I’ll tell you once I remember everything correctly, okay?”

She nodded happily. “Okay.” Putting her hands on his shoulders, she gently pressed him down. “But for now, you should get some rest and regain your strength!”

He obeyed, lying down once more, and closed his eyes.

For a while they stayed that way, with Ryu resting and Nina looking over him. Then, the young man spoke once more, his eyes still closed.

“Just one more thing…” he said softly. “Can you tell me everything that happened to us that you can remember?” He shook his head slowly. “It’s not that I forgot them, I just want to confirm their order of events.”

“Of course, I’d love to.” Smiling, she shifted in a way so that she was sitting beside him, her chin resting on her knees. “I first met you ten years ago, when you were first brought into Wyndia by two unicorn men…”

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure you’re okay, buddy?” Rei asked, his eyes narrowed in concern.

Ryu nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine, really. I know I only woke up yesterday, but… I don’t think I can just sit around anymore.” He closed his eyes. “Lord Ladon gave me a job to do, and I have to finish it.”

“But…” The princess gazed at him. “What made you lose four hundred years ago, during the Dragon War? I mean, you’ve been winning against the Goddess every time until that one time, so what happened?”

“I don’t know.” He paused, thinking hard, then shook his head. “For some reason, I can’t remember how I died that time… all I know is that the Dragon War ended four hundred years ago.” Ryu’s eyes filled with despair. “I led the Dragons to battle throughout the whole of the hundred year war, but so many of them died…”

Nina put a hand on his shoulder. “Ryu, it’s not your fault…”

“I wonder what really happened,” Momo said aloud.

“I don’t know how you died then, Ryu, but I can tell you what happened after that.” The snake woman nodded. “Because the Goddess wasn’t successfully defeated then, you were reborn again.” She sighed. “But with the Dragons overwhelmed, there was no safe place to bring you to in order to wait for you to grow from a child again, so Ladon put you into a deep sleep to wait for a safer time.”

Upon hearing that, Ryu recalled the memory of the conversation between Deis and Ladon, the one he had heard once before.

 

“ _Ladon! What did you do to Ryu?!”_ Deis had cried.

“ _It’s nothing too horrifying, Deis, I assure you…”_ Ladon sounded tired as he sighed. _“He won’t wake up for a long time, that’s all.”_

Her voice rose. _“But you’ll grow weaker, won’t you?!”_

“ _There’s nothing to be done about that. But…”_ He paused. _“…don’t you trust him?”_

“ _I… I do, of course, but…”_

“ _Then trust me on this, Deis. I believe that Ryu will indeed save us all from this terrible ordeal… he’s that sort of person, after all.”_

Deis chuckled lightly, though with a heavy tone. _“Yes, he sure is…”_

 

Ryu smiled inwardly, amused.

_They really put so much faith in me…_

“The time has arrived, has it not?” Garr spoke up for the first time, grimly. “The time to meet the Goddess…”

“Is this where we’ll meet her?” the half-tiger asked, swishing his tail.

Deis shook her head. “No, unfortunately not. Even if I summon her, she won’t answer me any more than she will answer you. You remember what happened at Angel Tower, right?” Sighing again, she continued, “Before I was imprisoned, I would have been able to take you to her place myself, but now… I don’t have enough strength left to do it.”

“If she resides here not, nor does she in Angel Tower…” Garr gazed at her. “…then where lies her whereabouts?”

Once again, she shook her head. “I can’t tell you that, since I don’t know the exact geography of this place after four hundred years. But, there’s one thing I can do for you so you can find her yourself. Ryu.” She turned towards him. “I’m going to open your ‘eye’.”

Nina blinked. “Open his what?”

The Dragon, who apparently knew what it meant, nodded and took a step forward. “I’m ready.”

Deis raised a hand in front of her, her blue wand materialising in her hand, and waved it towards him. The star at the end of the wand began shining brightly, so bright that everyone else had to shield their eyes.

“This might hurt a little,” she told him. “But you’ll just have to grin and bear it! Yah!!”

She swung the shining wand upwards with a cry, and Ryu flinched in reflex. Nothing happened at first, however, except for the fact that the wand’s bright light reduced to a mere glow and an orange circle of light appeared around him for an instant before disappearing.

Then, all of a sudden, a great bolt of golden energy struck Ryu!

“Ryu!!” the blond-haired girl exclaimed and began to move towards him, but stepped back as the energy bolt shone much brighter than the wand earlier, and a blinding white light engulfed everyone.

For Ryu, however, that blinding light faded into complete darkness as he felt a surge of energy within him. Within the deep darkness, he knew – or rather, _felt_ – the presence of someone or something anticipating his arrival. Then, he heard a voice, a sweet, yet alluring, female voice.

“… _my… Ryu…”_

Instantly, his heart was filled with anger.

_I’ll be seeing you soon… Myria._

A high playful giggle was his reply.

It was at that moment when his surrounding slid back into focus. Everything looked the same as before they started, as though absolutely nothing had happened, but now he was glowing, a soft golden light surrounding him.

He closed his eyes as the light left him and formed a glowing circle on his forehead.

_This power… it’s been a while…_

As if reading his thoughts, a sphere of the same golden light appeared above his head, shining brightly. A thin beam of line formed from it, pointing towards a direction.

“It’s pretty,” Nina commented. “What is it?”

“It’s called a prana, or, in other words, the Eye of God,” Deis answered, as her wand dematerialised again. “It will guide you the way to Myria. Ryu’s always had this power, though it has to be unlocked each time he’s reborn.”

Rei shook his head. “That’s really convenient… doesn’t this just beat all?”

Everyone watched the sphere of light for a while, as it floated above Ryu’s head. After a few short seconds, it faded away, followed by the thin beam of light.

“That direction…” the Guardian spoke in a quiet voice. “…north?”

Deis nodded. “Yes… far, far away to the north, across the sea. How you get there is up to you, but this is all I can do now.”

“It’s good enough, Lady Deis.” Ryu smiled. “Thank you.”

“Well, it’s up to you now, Ryu.” She waved a hand lightly. “Good luck!”

“Thanks. I’ll see you again.”

With that, he turned around and disappeared from the room in a small burst of light. Nina followed suit, and so did Rei, Momo and Peco. Garr was about to join them as well, but he stopped when the snake woman called out to him.

“Garr, I want you to look out for him…” Her eyes narrowed. “Make sure nothing happens to him, understand?”

The winged man faced her and gave a bow, a look of quiet determination on his face. “I swear upon the lives of the Dragonkin I have stolen, he shall not come to harm while I draw breath.”

And, like the others, he disappeared as well.

Deis continued to stand that way for a few seconds, and then slowly slid into a sitting position. She laughed a little to herself, but soon her eyes grew sad and distant.

“Such a repetitive cycle… it’s tiring, Ladon…” Sighing, she gazed upward at the dark ceiling. “Do you still wish to continue like this, Sister…?”

 

* * *

 

“The Goddess lies very far away, across the northern sea…” Garr repeated once more, as they travelled towards Rhapala. “It would seem we require a boat.”

“Geez, cross the ocean?!” Rei rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t know about the Goddess or naked girls, but I know this isn’t going to be easy…”

“I’ve never heard of anyone making it over the ocean.” Nina seemed thoughtful. “I wonder if it’s even possible?”

Ryu sighed softly. “We don’t have a choice. At least, I don’t, I have to meet the Goddesss…”

“I’ve always wondered…” Everyone turned towards Momo. “Most of the machines that we use here come drifting from the northern sea… maybe they have something to do with the Goddess?”

“Sheesh, doesn’t this just beat all?” Rei shook his head. “Can’t you just forget about machines for one day?”

But unfortunately, when they arrived at Rhapala a day and a half later, they found out that Beyd was still away.

“I don’t know what happened.” Shadis sighed. “It normally takes him six days to reach Junk Town and the ship takes one and a half days to return, but it’s been two weeks…”

Nina put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Shadis, we’ll go look for him in Junk Town!”

“Oh, you would?!” She smiled. “Thanks!”

The Guardian nodded. “Let us go. Junk Town is but a day’s journey north from Urkan Tapa.”

“Oboy! Junk Town!!” Momo’s eyes lit up. “That’s where most of the world’s machines come from!”

“Well, at least someone’s happy about all this running around…” Rei mumbled.

“Pui?” Peco said.

 

* * *

 

Junk Town was, as its name implied, a town full of junk – mounds of broken machines surrounded the shabby-looking buildings that made up the place. Four days after their departure from Rhapala, the six of them arrived at the junk-surrounded entrance.

Nina blinked. “Um… nice-looking place, isn’t it?”

“Nice? It’s GREAT!” Momo cried. “It’s full of machines!!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rei shrugged. “We came here for something else, remember?”

“To the west lies the docks,” Garr stated, leading the way. “Mayhap Beyd can be found there.”

Sure enough, Beyd was there with two men in sailor uniforms, speaking to a mechanic in dirty overalls. At the edge of the docks, a medium-sized ship with the Porter Guild’s logo lay floating idly on the waters.

“Are you sure you don’t know when the repairs will finish?” Beyd asked, sounding a little worried.

“Yes, I’m sorry, sir,” the mechanic replied. “Normally it wouldn’t take this long to find the parts, and it’s been difficult to do that lately…”

“I see…”

“Guildmaster, sir,” one of the sailors spoke. “Maybe we should head back first? We should at least tell the others that it’ll take some time…”

“I guess so.” Beyd turned around, sighing quietly, but just as he did, he noticed that a small party nearby was watching him, and he recognised Ryu’s electric blue hair. “W-wait a minute, you’re…!” He strode up to the young man. “You’re Ryu, aren’t you?!”

Ryu nodded. “How’re you, Beyd?”

Nina waved. “Long time no see, Beyd!”

“It’s been a while, isn’t it?” Momo said.

“It’s so good to see all of you again!” The Guildmaster smiled. “I’ll never forget what you did for me all those years ago…” He shook his head. “But what are you doing here?”

“Well, you see…” Ryu rubbed the back of his head. “We need a ship again, so…”

“A ship?” He sighed. “I’d like to say I can help you with that, but…” Glancing at the mechanic, he continued, “Looks like the repairs are taking longer than we thought. You’re going to have to wait again, just like before… I’m sorry…”

“You said the repairs are taking a while, right?” Momo seemed eager. “Anything I can do to help?”

Beyd looked up quickly. “Oh, that’s right! You’re an engineer, aren’t you, Momo? If that’s the case, think you could give us a hand?”

“Of course!” came the reply.

Upon hearing that, the mechanic gestured towards the ship. “Come along then, the engine room’s this way.”

All of them, including the mechanic and Beyd, headed onto the ship’s deck via a wooden plank and descended a ladder into the engine room. Momo’s eyes lit up as she saw the machinery, and very soon she was all over the place, examining everything in great excitement.

After a few minutes, she approached the mechanic while gesturing to a particular section of the engine. “This is the part that needs fixing, right?” Upon receiving a nod for an answer, she rolled up her sleeves. “Gotcha! I can fix this, no problem!”

The mechanic shook his head. “But we don’t have all the parts…”

“Don’t worry!” she stated cheerfully, while taking out a notepad from her pocket and scribbling on it. “I’ve got that all covered!”

Ryu’s expression fell. “I… have a feeling it’s going to involve me…”

Sure enough, once Momo was done with her scribbling, she tore the page off and handed it over to him. “Ryu, think you can find these parts?”

The princess giggled. “Poor Ryu.”

Ryu sighed as he took the memo and gave it a good long look. However, aside from mechanical terms, he saw pictures of various shapes… all of it made absolutely no sense to him.

“Um, Momo…” he started.

At his confused look, Momo explained, “These are the parts that I need to fix the ship with, but don’t worry, as long as you get the parts that look something like that, most likely you’ll get the correct ones!”

Beyd nodded, smiling. “You were able to fix the lighthouse before, so I’m sure you’ll be able to fix the ship faster than anyone else could, as well!”

“If you could find those parts, we’ll have the ship moving in no time,” the mechanic stated.

“Wow.” Rei grinned. “Looks like everyone’s depending on you for everything, eh, Ryu?”

The blue-haired man shook his head and sighed.

Nina giggled again.

 

* * *

 

From what they gathered from the Machinist’s Guild members, the best place to scavenge for machine parts is Steel Beach, a place an hour north from Junk Town. After walking through a long cave through the mountains, they arrived on the other side, on a steel-covered beach. Apparently they were not the only people looking for parts – many of the Machinist’s Guild members were around as well.

Ryu, Nina, Rei and Garr (Peco did not join them as he decided to stay with Momo instead) approached a short half-monkey man a blue jacket, next to the freighter on one side of the beach, and Ryu asked if they could look for parts.

“Huh? You want to go into the freighter to look for parts?” The half-monkey thought hard. “Hm… I don’t know, you look kinda scrawny… don’t you have someone bigger to help you?”

Upon hearing that, Garr stepped forward. “Perhaps I could be of assistance, good sir.”

He examined him. “Hm… well, you look pretty buff. Hold on just a second.” Turning around, he yelled so loudly that he made everyone else jump. “Yo, boss!! Someone’s here to look for parts!”

“Shaddap!!” a gruff voice shouted in reply. “Can’t you see I’m busy here?!!”

The owner of the voice was a large man with features of a brown ox, easily as big as Garr himself. He had both hands pulling on a thick rope that was caught on something in the sea, but it looked as though he was having problems trying to pull it in.

“Whoa, it’s gotta be big, boss!” the half-monkey cried.

“Of course it’s big, you numbskull!” the ox man shouted. “Otherwise I would’ve pulled it in already!” He glanced up at his subordinate, and caught sight of the group, or more specifically, Garr. “Hey, you there! Care to give me a hand here?!”

“Go on, Garr!” Rei stated, grinning. “Go show him who’s boss!”

Ryu gave a nod. “And they might let us look for parts if you do.”

“Hm, all right.” The Guardian went to the half-ox’s other side and got a firm hold on the rope.

“You ready?” the half-ox said. “All right, we pull on the count of three! One, two, three! PULL!!”

As Nina and Rei cheered them on, the two men began to tug at the rope with all of their might. Whatever that was caught at the end of the rope was certainly very heavy, because even with the combination of Garr and the half-ox’s strength, it took them quite some time to pull it in.

“Oof! Boy, this one’s heavy!” Garr’s pulling companion cried. “Can you see what it is yet?!”

His subordinate stood on his toes and looked out as far as he could, with one hand shielding his eyes from the sun. “Yeah, I see it! It’s something big!”

Sure enough, whatever they were pulling was big, but it didn’t look like a machine to Ryu – it looked like a giant fish from where he was standing.

The monkey man paled immediately. “B-Boss, it don’t look like no machine!”

“Huh? What? I don’t believe it!” his boss scoffed. “Get on pulling!”

However, after a few more pulls, the ‘thing’ suddenly moved on its own and splashed out of the water, landing on the sandy beach. It was a giant angler, with yellow scales on the upper half and purple ones on the lower half, and red fins with claws along its back and tail. Along its sides were red-webbed claws similar to the foot of a duck, which it used to move like a scorpion, and long whiskers wriggled from above its large mouth with gleaming sharp teeth.

“W-w-what is it?!!” the half-ox cried. “R-R-RUN!!”

All of the scavengers screamed upon seeing the monster and fled in the direction of the exit, some crashing into each other and ramming themselves into machinery, and soon the whole of Steel Beach were empty except for Ryu and his companions and the Angler.

Rei rubbed the back of his head. “Eh, doesn’t this just beat all… aren’t you happy now, big fella, now that you’ve proven your strength to them?”

“Per…haps so.” There was a hint of embarrassment on Garr’s face.

“But I must say, Garr,” Nina said, giggling a little. “It’s quite a catch!”

“Catch or not…” Ryu pulled out his sword. “It’s coming for us!”

All four of them jumped back and raised their weapons as the Angler gave a loud cry. Watching them with a murderous eye, it sent a wave of dangerous-looking fumes in their direction, forcing them all to scatter.

“Gangway!” Rei, the first to act, circled the monster and leaped, twirling his dual daggers once before slashing its side rapidly twice. Two large gashes appeared among the scales, which made the Angler roar in pain and retaliate by slapping him hard with its tail, flinging him into several crates nearby.

Taking the chance while it was occupied with Rei, Nina spun her glowing wand before raising it above her head and shouting, “Thunderbolt!!”

Thunderbolts struck the monster repeatedly, one after another like raging, diving hawks that would stun anything that they hit. The Angler, however, did not flinch. It growled, as though laughing at her, and raised its whiskers, which was beginning to glow.

To everyone’s shock, a blue thunderbolt, much larger and stronger than Nina’s own Thunderbolt spell, formed from the tip of the whiskers and tore through the ground in its fury towards her.

She shrieked and shielded her arms with her arms in reflex, flinching in expectation of a wave of pain.

But it did not come.

Instead, she heard Ryu gasp in pain, which immediately made her look up – he had lodged himself between her and the thunderbolt, in his human form!

“Oh no, Ryu!!” she cried.

The young man, unable to reply, gritted his teeth with his eyes shut tightly, enduring the great thunderbolt that continued to strike him mercilessly.

Seizing his opportunity, Garr rushed forward while the Angler was still occupied with the electric attack, his eyes narrowed as he concentrated. Raising his spear that was covered in crimson flames, he gave a grunt and slashed the monster’s head four times, cutting deeply through its scales and flesh.

The effect was immediate; the thunderbolt ceased as the monster roared loudly, its scales badly cut and burnt. Revenge burning in its eyes, it growled and raised its whiskers once more, ready to fire the same blue thunderbolt that struck Ryu.

However, another thunderbolt did not come.

Rei, with his lightning speed, had sped forward and lashed out with his daggers, slicing each whisker cleanly into two.

Another roar rumbled loudly through the air and sparks appeared around the Angler as it writhed violently in pain, making the half-tiger jump back in alarm.

Garr, however, remained as unflappable as ever. He approached with his eyes focused on the writhing fish, as flames covered the blade of his halberd once more. Then, with all of his might, he dealt the swift, final blow that finally left it unmoving on the ground.

Taking deep breaths, Ryu relaxed and slowly slid into a sitting position on the ground, feeling weak from the Angler’s electrocution earlier.

“Ugh…” He shook his head to clear his dazed mind, then turned a little to face the princess. “Are you okay, Nina?”

Nina nodded, kneeling beside him with her eyes narrowed in concern. “Yes, I’m okay, but… you took the hit for me…”

“I don’t mind…” He smiled a little. “Anything as long as it keeps you safe.”

She shook her head. “Oh, Ryu…”

He took a deep breath and stood up slowly, though a little shakily. He was about to suggest that they search for the machine parts when he heard a small high voice calling him. He looked around, seeking for the owner of the voice… but there was no one on Steel Beach except for the four of them.

The voice called him again, then giggled playfully, like a child playing hide-and-seek with him. He turned towards it – it sounded like the voice came from the Angler…

“What’s wrong, Ryu?” Nina asked as he curiously inspected the dead fish.

“Something’s calling me, and it sounds like it’s coming from…” Abruptly, he pulled out his sword and slashed a cross onto the Angler’s side, revealing its interior. “…right here.”

And he was right.

Inside the stomach that had been sliced open, among the blood, a small piece of chrysm crystal glimmered. Without a thought on the blood, Ryu reached out and touched the chrysm crystal, and the high voice giggled again, as though to say, “Oops, you’ve found me!”

_You… who are you?_

The voice giggled again. _“Your Protector!”_

_My Protector? But you sound so young…_

“ _Soon-to-be Protector, actually,”_ the voice quickly corrected. _“I was still learning from my master!”_

Within Ryu, the spirit of the Behemoth stirred. Was he this child’s mentor?

“ _But it took you so long to find me…”_ Ryu could almost see the silhouette of a child pouting and crossing his arms. _“I’m never going to play hide-and-seek with you ever again!”_

_Hide-and-seek? But I wasn’t–_

“ _I was going to just remain hiding all the way, until I saw you protect that lady…”_ The eyes on the silhouette were filled with apprehension. _“That’s what I’m… I mean, what us Protectors are supposed to do for you, isn’t it, Lord Ryu?”_ The voice lowered. _“We’re supposed to… die for you?”_

_No, that’s not it. The Protectors aren’t my bodyguards or underlings or anything of the sort; they’re my comrades in battle._

“ _You mean… I don’t have to die for you?”_

_Of course. We’ll fight together, to be together with our family again._

“ _To be with our family again…”_ The child looked up, eyes glistening with tears. _“I’ll… I’ll join you! I want to see everyone again!!”_

Power flowed into Ryu’s hands and surged through his veins. Then, in that instant, a bright light filled the beach as his form began to change.

The other three covered their eyes, blinded by the light, but at the same time, curious to see what Dragon form he would take this time.

When the light faded, however, they couldn’t believe their eyes.

It was not a large Dragon or a long one… what they saw was a cute little thing on the ground, its blue eyes looking up at them. It was barely bigger than a medium-sized dog, with an oval, chubby body covered with fiery-orange scales and grass-green stripes. Its head – which seemed rather similar to the head on Ryu’s Dragon whelp form – had a reptilian snout and a pair of horns sticking out from the back. It had no legs or arms to help its movements, and its stump of a lizard tail wagged sideways furiously like a happy dog’s.

The other three were speechless for a while.

“That’s… so…” Rei began.

“…cute!” Nina cried, laughing, and spread her arms. “Come here, Ryu, I want to hug you!”

Ryu, in that cute Dragon form, shook his head, turning red from the embarrassment.

“…perchance it may be stronger than what it appears to be…” Garr said, holding his chin, though the doubt was thick in his voice.

The half-tiger grinned mischievously. “Wanna try it out?” He drew out his twin daggers in a mock battle. “Who knows, this may be the one and only time he’s not going to beat us!”

Good-humouredly, Garr raised his halberd, its blade coated in blazing flames. “Agreed. Shall we?”

The little Dragon jumped and, with a loud squeak, sped away so quickly that he was instantly gone within the blink of an eye. It was certainly surprising how fast he could move without legs or wings.

“Gosh.” Nina giggled. “Look at him go!”

Rei rubbed the back of his head. “Man, how’re we supposed to know he’s that fast in that form? It’s insane!”

The Guardian chuckled. “It would seem we shall have to give up the hope of ever overpowering him…”

There was a short burst of light before Ryu emerged once more, back in his human form. He shook his head exasperatedly. “I’m never going to take that form again… not after knowing you’re out to get me!”

“But you’re so cute in that form!” Nina shook her head, laughing. “Come on, transform again!”

Rei shrugged with a grin. “And let you grab him in a bone-crushing hug?”

Ryu took a step back quickly. “No way!”

Everyone else laughed.

With that, they resumed their search for the machine parts for the ship, knowing that the sooner they finish repairing the ship, the sooner they could continue on their journey.

And, within Ryu, the spirit of the Behemoth Dragon embraced the newcomer, like a father who had finally found his son after ages.

The Pygmy Dragon, who had been his student during his life.

 

* * *

 

Upon the discovery of the dead Angler, the Machinists Guild members were so enthusiastic to know they could finally scavenge for parts without the fear of being attacked that they offered to look for parts that Momo needed for the repairs. They were so enthusiastic that, in one solid hour, the four of them – Ryu, Nina, Rei and Garr – were all loaded with broken machinery and ready to head back to Junk Town.

And, upon receiving the required parts so quickly, Momo and the engineer assigned to fix the ship were equally enthusiastic and worked all day and night to repair the ship completely.

So, by the next morning, all of them – Ryu and his friends as well as Beyd and his two sailors – were well on their way back to Rhapala, on the long awaited ship. However, to Ryu’s displeasure, the ship shivered and shook as it moved across the water, as though the engine would suddenly explode and break into pieces.

“What do you think?” Momo asked, looking very much like a proud inventor who had achieved an award. “Do I know how to repair things or what?”

“Eh…” Rei scratched his head. “It shakes a lot, doesn’t it?”

The Guardian nodded. “I know not if we are able to cross the sea in this boat…”

Beyd shook his head sheepishly. “Um, I know it’s a small boat, but please make yourselves comfortable.”

Everyone nodded.

While Momo, Rei and Garr decided to stay in the bedroom, Ryu followed Nina to the upper deck, where they found Peco happily snoozing in the sunlight, seemingly undisturbed by all the shaking.

Nina giggled. “I wonder how Peco could sleep like this.”

Ryu shrugged. “I don’t think he ever wonders if the ship would break…”

She giggled once again, then stretched, her small wings fluttering in the ocean breeze.

 

* * *

 

“Come to think of it…” Beyd turned to face his two sailors in the bridge. “No one told me how the boat was damaged this time. What happened?”

Both sailors appeared nervous, and after a while, the one at the wheel answered, “Uh, well, uh… you see…” He took a deep breath. “You know about the Black Ship, sir?”

“The Black Ship…” He seemed thoughtful. “You mean that large ship we can sometimes see off in the distance?”

The other sailor nodded. “You won’t believe this, sir, but it was here, in the Inner Sea!” He shook his head. “It came out of nowhere, right in front of us… we couldn’t avoid it!”

His eyes widened. “Impossible… the Black Ship has only been seen on the Outer Sea, it can’t navigate the shallow waters of the Middle Sea!”

 

* * *

 

“Oh, look!” Nina suddenly cried, her eyes focused on the horizon. “Something’s coming this way… a ship?”

Ryu blinked. “Huh? A ship?”

He stared out into the distance, squinting his eyes to see where she was pointing. Sure enough, there was something dark in the distance, something that resembled a ship. However, before he could take a good long look, it disappeared away into the distance, like a ghost fading away into thin air.

“It’s gone…” the blond-haired girl stated aloud. “I wonder what it was…”

 

* * *

 

Sometime in the afternoon the next day, the ship finally arrived at Rhapala. As everyone stepped off the wooden plank that connected the ship’s deck and the port town’s wharf, being greeted by a very happy and relieved Shadis.

“Beyd!!” she shouted, and flung herself onto him.

Beyd stumbled a little, but managed to regain his balance as he put his hands on her shoulders. “W-whoa, Shadis?”

“You know how worried I’ve been?! You’ve been away for nineteen days!”

He lowered his eyes. “I’m sorry…”

She pulled away from him slowly, smiling. “That’s okay, you worked hard to bring the ship back, didn’t you?”

Immediately more cheerful, he returned her smile. “Yes, but Momo and the others helped to fix the ship again, just like how they helped to fix the lighthouse.” He turned to face them. “It took us a while, everyone, but we can finally let you use the ship now.”

Momo’s eyes lit up. “Oh wow! Thank you!”

Shadis laughed a little. “No problem there. After all, you’ve been helping us so much, it’s the least we can do!”

“That’s right!” Beyd then gestured to his subordinates. “These two sailors you’ve met will take you anywhere you ask them to, and I hope it’ll help you in whatever you’re doing!”

Nina nodded. “Thank you, Beyd, you’re a great help! We’re planning to cross the–”

All of a sudden, a loud booming voice rang through the air, making most of them jump.

“WAAAAAIIIITT!!”

It was Zig, still as burly as ever, who came striding down noisily towards them. As he approached, the sailors stepped back, intimidated by his size, but he ignored them as he stopped before Beyd.

“Let me handle this!” he half-yelled, clearly excited. “Let me pilot the ship for them, Beyd – I mean, Guildmaster!”

The Guildmaster, still smaller than him, seemed a little nervous. “Um… sure, Zig…”

“All right!!” Zig turned towards the group. “Beyd may have beaten me out for the lighthouse… and Shadis…” For a moment he looked almost sad, but the expression was immediately replaced by egoistic confidence. “But I’ll show you that no one handles a boat better than me! Bwahahaha!!”

And, with that, he marched into the ship’s bridge.

For a while everyone remained silent, but soon Beyd cleared his throat.

“He’s like that,” he explained. “But he’s right about one thing – he’s certainly our best sailor, so you’re in good hands!”

“Great!” Rei grinned. “So when do we get started?”

“Perhaps leaving now would be a good idea, once we have bought enough supplies,” Garr stated as a matter-of-factly.

Ryu nodded. “Right.”

It did not take them long to purchase enough supplies, and before long, the group were all on the ship’s deck, waving to Beyd, Shadis and the sailors of the Porter’s Guild.

“Be careful!” Shadis shouted, waving madly. “And good luck!”

“You can bring the boat back anytime!” Beyd yelled. “And thanks for all your help!”

Nina was waving as well. “Goodbye, Beyd, Shadis! We’ll see you again!”

And now, as the ship headed towards the horizon, away from the port town of Rhapala, the group’s real journey would begin… a journey across the treacherous Outer Sea.

A journey to meet the Goddess of Destruction.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the skill descriptions on the Angler’s part aren’t accurate, because I’ve no idea how the skill looks like! I had to read a guide to see what kind of attacks it has, thanks to Ryu being overpowered like the Dragon he is. x_x


	26. Twenty-Three: The Treacherous Ocean

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: The Treacherous Ocean**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

Moments after Rhapala disappeared over the horizon, everyone settled down around the ship, knowing that the journey by ship would be long.

“The wind sure feels good, doesn’t it, Ryu?” Nina said, stretching her wings to catch the ocean breeze.

Ryu smiled. “Yeah, it sure does.”

“I wonder what it’s like on the other side of the ocean…” Watching some flying fishes diving out of the water and back in again, she continued, “We’ll be the first to see it, won’t we?”

Garr nodded. “Indeed. Crossing the sea to meet the Goddess… even the Urkan would have never dreamed such a thing possible.”

“Well…” The half-tiger rubbed the back of his head. “Something tells me that crossing the sea isn’t going to be easy. I mean, there’s a reason why no one’s done it before, right?”

Momo, who happened to come up from the engine room in time to hear Rei’s statement, shrugged. “I don’t know how far it is to the other side, but the engine’s running just fine, so don’t worry about it.”

Peco just bounced lightly on his feet. “Supuuuuu–”

“Heeey!” Zig suddenly called loudly, his booming voice coming all the way from the bridge, which prompted them to go to him. “So where d’ya want to go?”

“We want to go to the Outer Sea,” Nina said.

“The Outer Sea?!” he echoed in exclamation, his eyes wide with shock. “Are you sure about that?!”

Ryu nodded. “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s a really long story, so…”

“Uh huh… figures…” The sailor shrugged. “I thought you might say something like that… well.” He crossed his arms. “I guess I should tell ya – no one who’s been out there has ever returned alive, so are you sure you still want to go?”

“Look, dude,” Rei said. “Do you think we’d do something crazy like this if we have a choice?”

“Okay, okay, the Outer Sea it is.” He rolled up his already-short sleeves. “Well then! At least you’re in good hands! Ol’ Zig here’s the best captain in Rha– no, in the world!” He puffed his chest. “If anyone can get you across the sea, I can! Who else is crazy enough to try, anyway?!”

 

* * *

 

It took the trembling ship two full days to travel from Rhapala to the furthest end of the Middle Sea, which connected the Inner Sea that they were all familiar with and the treacherous Outer Sea. Knowing that they would soon be in for a terribly rough ride, they remained indoors and grabbed the most stable thing they could find, such as ladders and window grilles… but since Peco had no arms to grab, however, all he could do was to barricade himself under the bed and hope for the best.

“Get ready!” Zig’s booming voice carried from the bridge and into the bedroom. “Here we gooooo!!”

Very soon, the ship began to shake even more violently than it usually did, to the point that most of them could not keep their balance and constantly swayed around to remain standing. Ryu was able to hold onto the ladder (that led to the bridge) with one strong arm, though with difficulty, while the other was wrapped around Nina’s waist to keep her from being thrown around like a rag doll. Garr remained unflappable, being the steady rock he was, but many a time Peco’s head hit the bottom of the bed frame painfully.

“Yeow!!” Rei cried, clinging onto the window grille for dear life. “This is definitely NOT a picnic!!”

But the ship continued on valiantly.

Few minutes upon making the transition from the Middle Sea to the Outer Sea, however, the ship became a violent shaking hell, just when everyone thought it was bad enough. Wave after massive wave crashed onto its side, tossing it here and there, rendering it practically helpless against the powerful sea.

Inside the bedroom, it was utter chaos. Momo, who had wrapped herself along the table leg, screamed as the table slid to the other end of the room and dragged her along with it. Against his will, Peco bounced several times against the bottom of the bed frame and then all over the room like a ball. Ryu lost his grip on the ladder and slid across the room like Momo, but he still held onto Nina, who was now on top of him. Even Garr had trouble keeping himself from being tossed around, and everyone knew it would certainly hurt if he landed on them.

Rei managed to make the situation worse, however. Like Ryu, he lost his grip on the window grille and, like Momo, slid across the wooden floor as though it was ice, but being the feline he partially was, he yowled and instinctively sank his claws into the wooden floor to stop himself from sliding around. Which, of course, added a terribly high-pitched screech into the list of chaotic happenings in the ship.

And, after a few more minutes of this, Zig’s voice came from the bridge like heaven’s salvation.

“It’s too much! She’ll break up!! We better go back!!”

“That’s a GREAT idea!!” Ryu yelled, wincing from the screech caused by Rei’s claws.

“Rei! Stop that!!” Nina cried, both her hands covering her ears.

“I can’t help it!!” the half-tiger shouted back. “It’s a reflex!!”

“Aaaaaah!!” came Momo’s voice as she slid around. “I can’t take this anymore!!”

“PYUUU!!” Peco squealed, whizzing past Garr’s head.

 

* * *

 

Once they were back on the calmer waters of the Middle Sea, the after-effects of the short Outer Sea trip were apparent. Rei was on the deck, leaning over the railing and throwing up, while Ryu and Nina were looking rather sickly. Peco was completely out, dazed and his head sore from all the banging, and the red-haired engineer tended to him. Even Garr seemed a little tired.

It took some time for them to recover, but once they did, they gathered in the bridge once more (with the exception of Peco, who was still pretty much out) to discuss their next plan.

“I’ve heard stories, but… I never imagine it’d be that bad!” Zig shook his head. “I know I told ya; if anyone could ya there, I could… but I don’t know if we can do it in this boat…”

“Hold it!” The princess stood with her arms akimbo. “Are you trying to say we should give up trying to get across?! If the best sailor in Rhapala can’t do it, then what are we supposed to do?!”

A look of defeat showed on his usually confident face. “Sorry… I guess I just don’t have what it takes to be like the Legendary Mariner…”

“The Legendary Mariner…” Momo seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Could he take us across the ocean?”

“Eh, it’s not quite like that.” The sailor shook his head again. “Ya see, we sailors have a legend about a sailor living here in the Inner Sea who came here from the other side of the ocean…” Upon seeing everyone’s hopeful look, he quickly shook his head once more. “But it’s just a legend! A story!!”

“Legends are often based upon the truth…” Garr crossed his arms. “Do tell us more about this… Legendary Mariner.”

“Well, ya see, I don’t really know much about him…” Zig stated. “There’s a little town north of Rhapala called Parch, and the mayor there might know something… maybe…”

The Dragon nodded. “I vote we head on there.”

“Anything goes as long as we don’t take this ship to the Outer Sea again…” Rei shuddered.

“Parch it is, then!” Nina said cheerfully. “Let’s go!”

Zig saluted. “Yes, ma’am!”

 

* * *

 

A day later, they discovered that Parch was a fishing village, completely inaccessible for people without a boat. It was slightly bigger than Cliff, with several tents and huts sitting around the sandy beach, and a large wooden platform extended out from the beach, for ships to dock. The people of the village all spoke with a strange thick accent that most of them could not understand without straining their ears a little, and there was a fishy odour hanging around in the air.

“Phew, it smells!” Nina commented, putting a hand over her nose.

“Smells? That’s a heavenly smell!” Rei took a deep whiff, enjoying the smell thoroughly. “Now it’s making me hungry!”

“All you could think is your stomach, huh?” Momo could not resist teasing.

“Hey!!”

“So this is Parch?” Ryu asked as he observed the area.

“Yeah, a small fishing village,” Zig answered. “The Porters’ Guild sailors come here often to trade fishes with other things they need like bread and sugar.” He looked at all of them. “I’ll wait here, okay?”

The Guardian nodded. “We shall return soon.”

All six of them walked along the little paths in search of the mayor’s house, though the trip was a noisy one due to the fact that Rei and Momo could not stop poking fun at each other and were arguing because of it. But it was not a problem for the rest, for they were able to tune out their voices by now.

It was easy to tell which house was the mayor’s, as it was the biggest building (albeit still a small one) among all the huts around. Inside was not too grandly decorated, with wooden tables and mats on the floor to substitute, and the mayor was sitting at a table, sipping tea.

The mayor was a short, rotund man with a shiny bald head, beady eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses, and a thin strip of moustache above his thin lips. Like the rest of Parch’s residents, his clothes were simple.

His expression, however, was that of a very disagreeable man, and even his attendant, a golden-haired girl dressed in a simple blue dress and red shawl, seemed rather nervous as she stood nearby.

Ryu stepped forward, his head slightly bowed in respect. “Um... sir, we’re interested to hear about the Legendary Mariner. Can you please tell us about him?”

“Eh? The Legendary Mariner?” The mayor gazed at him, then at all of his friends, and suddenly started shouting loudly. “If I tell the story again, you’re just gonna give me more of that nasty fish to eat, aren’t you?!”

He was absolutely taken aback. “N-no, I–”

“FIDDLESTICKS!!” With that outburst, he suddenly had a lot of energy, for he started to fling things – vases, books, plates, even pillows – at them. “No more fish! I’ll just sit here and starve to death, I will!!”

His attendant squealed, flabbergasted. “S-sir!”

He flung a huge plate at Garr, barely missing his head and wing. “Hah!! And when I’m dead, put my ashes in the Maekyss River!!”

“We should leave,” the Guardian stated calmly despite the chaos, turning to leave.

“Yeah, good idea!” Rei hurried after him, followed by the rest of their companions.

 

* * *

 

“I'm sorry…” the mayor’s attendant muttered a few minutes later. “He’s not usually like this, it’s just that he dislikes fish ever since he was ill, and now he hardly speaks to anyone…”

“Doesn’t that beat all?” Rei rubbed the back of his head. “Hating fish when you live in a fishing village?

She gave a nod. “He originally came from Central Wyndia, so I think he’s just homesick for some Wyndian cooking…”

“Hm… come to think of it…” Nina seemed thoughtful. “He did mention Maekyss River, didn’t he?”

Upon the mention of Maekyss River, Ryu could not help but to remember the time when Balio and Sunder, the two brothers, who fell to their death from the bridge there ten years ago. But he ignored that bitter memory and asked, “What about it, Nina?”

She turned towards him. “Maekyss River is where a famous cook called Kimiko lives. When you mention Wyndian cuisine, her name’s bound to come up somewhere. I heard about her from one of the castle cooks.”

“You mean, we have to find her all the way at Maekyss River?” Momo asked. “It’s a long way from here!”

“Yes, but… Kimiko’s particularly famous for her dish called shisu, which is made of fish but doesn’t taste like one.”

The attendant squealed. “If he eats that, then he won’t hate fish anymore!”

Ryu nodded. “It’s a long shot, but it’s still a chance to get him to talk.”

The half-tiger shook his head. “Man, more walking around…”

“Not necessarily.” All eyes turned onto Nina, who suddenly looked cheerful. “I may not look like it, but I can cook some Wyndian dishes, shisu included!”

The attendant’s eyes lit up. “You do? That’s great!” She gestured towards the back of the house. “We’ll let you use any ingredient we have in the kitchen! Come on, follow me!”

As everyone else complied, Ryu moved next to Nina, with an awed expression on his face. “Wow, Nina, I didn’t know you could cook.”

The princess smiled. “It’s something I do whenever I could find the time to sneak into the kitchen. Except that…” Embarrassment washed over her face. “While I know the recipe, this will be the first time I’m cooking it.”

His expression fell. “The first time?”

“Yea, but don’t worry!” She gave a confident grin. “I’m sure it’ll turn out fine!”

However, despite Nina’s confidence and insistence that she could handle it, three hours’ worth of chaos broke out in the kitchens, and those not involved had no desire to learn what exactly happened in there. But true to her word, she could certainly cook. With the attendant’s help, she soon emerged with a plate of shisu, which prompted most of them to gather around her to admire the dish.

Shisu was actually a ball of shaly seed dipped in vinegar, combined with shredded horseradish, with a slice of mackerel on it. Everyone else had not seen shisu before, but even they saw how delicious it looked.

“Wow!” was Ryu’s reaction.

“That really looks delicious!” the half-tiger commented, licking his lips. “Mind if I take some?”

Garr shook his head. “That would certainly not be a good idea, Rei…”

Momo nodded. “But you’ll have no problems getting the mayor to talk with this, Nina!”

“I sure hope so,” the princess responded with a sheepish smile. “It tasted fine to me, but who knows if the mayor–”

“We won’t know until we try, right?” the attendant interrupted. “C’mon, let’s go give it to the mayor!”

“Pui!” Peco agreed.

The attendant took the dish, holding it in a careful manner, and strode slowly towards the mayor’s seat in the room. Despite her eagerness earlier, it was apparent that she was terribly nervous, for she seemed hesitant to approach him.

“Um… M-Mr. Mayor, s-sir…” she stammered.

“What is it?!” the mayor snapped; apparently he was still rather steamed up, but otherwise he made no move to throw anything around. “Go on, girl, speak up!!”

“S-sir, t-the guests earlier m-made something for y-you…” Bowing her head completely, she held out the dish in front of her. “Please t-try it!”

He stood up abruptly, making her squeal, but on his face was not an expression of anger, but of utter surprise. “W-what’s this?!” He took a step forward, his eyes wide open and looking like a frog’s bulging eyes, and then gasped. “This… this is shisu!!”

Without warning, he grabbed the whole dish, scaring the life out of his attendant, and began swiftly scooping the shisu into his mouth. He ate like a desperate, ravenous survivor of a deserted island, and as he chewed, an expression of pure bliss washed over his face.

Rei swallowed. “…wow, now I want to try shisu too!”

“Sorry, Rei…” The winged girl appeared embarrassed. “I only made enough for the mayor!”

“Aw, darn it!” He swished his tail in disappointment. “Man, doesn’t that just beat all…”

They turned back towards the mayor of Parch, who had just finished with his meal. He took a deep breath, a look of satisfaction on his face, and then sat on his seat once more.

“Whew!” he cried, patting his stomach. “That horseradish’s got a good kick to it!”

“Is it g-good, sir?” his attendant asked meekly, serving him some hot tea.

“Good?! It’s GREAT!!” Then he let out a hearty laugh, all traces of his frustration gone.

Upon seeing this, many of his servants cheered, including Ryu, Nina, Momo and Rei. The half-tiger and engineer gave each other a high-five, and Nina danced around in happiness with her hands holding Ryu’s. Even Peco joined in the fun by bouncing around their legs.

The mayor was certainly in high spirits again!

 

* * *

 

“Hm…” The mayor rubbed his chin, much later after everyone had calmed down. “Crossing the Outer Sea, eh?”

“Yes,” Nina confirmed. “And we heard about the Legendary Mariner who crossed the ocean. Can you please tell us about him?”

“Well, normally I’d tell you to get such foolish notions out of your head…” He took a sip from his teacup. “But I owe you for the shisu, don’t I?”

“Does that mean you’ll help us?” Rei asked hopefully.

He didn’t immediately reply. Instead, he went to an old wooden cupboard in the corner of the room, searched through all the books and papers in there, and then pulled out a piece of ragged yellow paper.

“Here, take this,” he said as he gave them to Ryu.

“What’s this?” the Dragon asked, peering at the paper.

“Hm… a sea chart?” Garr suggested.

The mayor nodded. “That shows all the currents in the sea around here.” He pointed on a particular part of the chart. “If you follow it, you should be able to get through the crags to the east. That’s where you’ll find the Legendary Mariner.”

“So it’s true!” Nina grinned. “The Legendary Mariner really exists!”

Rei grinned as well. “So what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Just as they left the house, however, the mayor’s attendant called them.

“Wait, don’t go yet!” she cried, running towards them.

Momo blinked. “Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Thanks to you, the mayor recovered his vigour!” She smiled. “Here, I wanted to give this on the behalf of all the servants!”

She handed a fishing rod to them, which Ryu took eagerly. He could tell that this was really a high quality rod, better than the one he had years ago. It would be useful to use this to catch fishes for food during their journey across the sea.

“Oh, you didn’t have to…” Nina smiled. “I enjoyed cooking with you.”

“No, no! It’s the least we can do! He was like that for so long, we all didn’t know what to do!”

“But now you know how to make shisu, right?” Rei grinned. “Make sure you keep your mayor happy with that!”

She nodded vigorously. “Yes, of course! Thank you all so much!”

While the ship travelled out to the sea, everyone stood on deck and waved at her, who soon became just a tiny speck on the horizon. And, as Ryu watched the sun set in the golden sky, he thought of all the good friends he had made during his travels and all the support and help they had given.

It made him resolve determinedly not to lose to the Goddess again.

 

* * *

 

The distance would have taken them only a day to reach, but it took them a day and a half due to the complexity and difficulty in navigating through the tides. They soon came across a lonely hut on a wooden platform, floating safely among the crags.

After some discussion, Ryu, Nina, Momo and Rei would be the ones to descend, together with Zig, who was finally allowed to come after he created such a fuss about meeting the Legendary Mariner. Garr stayed back as they were afraid his weight would sink the entire platform, and Peco was dozing happily in the afternoon sun.

A green parrot, with a colourful tail and a blue crest, was pecking at a crab that was running sideways along the platform, chasing it all over the place. As Ryu and the others stepped down from the ship, however, the parrot abandoned its game and flew to the opposite end of the platform, towards an old man. It gave a little whistle like a songbird.

“I know, Duan, I know,” a cracked voice came from him. “We’ve got guests…”

“Um, excuse me,” the princess said as they approached him.

The old man turned around, gazing at all of them. He wore simple blue shirt and shorts, and no shoes on his feet. Red goggles framed his eyes, and his silver hair was long and messy.

When they approached, he spoke first, “That’s a Guild ship, ain’t it? What would the Guild want with me?” Before anyone could reply, he continued, “Anyway, welcome. Come inside, have some coffee or something.”

Inside the hut was modestly decorated. All it had were a table surrounded by three stools in the middle of the room, a single bed in one corner and a cupboard on the other, all made from wood. There was also a wooden counter along the far end of the room, most likely for him to prepare food.

The old man headed first to the cupboard, pulling out some dusty cups, and gave them a good long wash in the sea water outside before placing them on the table. As he poured steaming hot coffee into the mugs, the parrot perched on the corner of the table, next to him.

“Sugar cube, sugar cube!” it squawked, waving its wings, and then clicked its beak.

“Ah, that’s right, Duan.” The old man chuckled as he reached into the counter for a bag of sugar cubes. “I always forget my sugar…”

“That’s a cute parrot you have, sir,” Nina commented, watching the parrot whistle in awe. “Where did you get it from?”

“Aye, missy.” He proceeded to put the sugar cubes into each mug. “It was a long, long time ago, from the land across the sea…” A distant look washed over his face, as though reminiscing upon past memories, his voice cracked with sadness.

“So it’s true!” Zig shouted, lumbering forward. “You’re the Legendary Mariner!!”

“Legendary Mariner…” The old man sat down heavily on a stool, shaking his head in disbelief. “Are they still calling me that? It’s been a long time, after all…”

“You’re a legend among us sailors!” he continued in his loud voice. “There ain’t any sailor who don’t know ya!”

He sighed sadly. “My name is Kukuys, I’m not a sailor… I haven’t explored the reaches of the Outer Sea…”

Momo shook her head. “Whaaaat? So you don’t have a boat we could use?” She seemed disappointed at the fact that she would not get to see a ship different from the one Rhapala was using.

“You mean…” Ryu’s voice trailed off.

Kukuys nodded. “Yes… I did come from the other side of the sea… not as a sailor, but as a castaway…”

“A c-castaway?!” Zig exclaimed, aghast; apparently he could not believe that someone he grew up learning as a legend was not what he thought at all.

“Even if you’re not a sailor…” All eyes turned onto the half-tiger, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “You still know how to cross the ocean, right?”

“Yes, that’s right!” Nina stated. “Please tell us, Kukuys! We have to get across the Outer Sea!”

“Impossible…” he muttered. “No Inner Sea boat could make the trip. And besides…” His voice turned slightly bitter. “There’s nothing worth mentioning out there.”

“Yeah, right!” the engineer cried with sarcasm. “Then where do all those machines come from?!”

“If you got here, there must be a way for us to get there!” Ryu shook his head. “Please tell us how, Kukuys!”

Kukuys glanced at all of them. “…if you’re that determined, then maybe there’s a way…” Gesturing towards the Outer Sea, he continued, “You must find a certain ship… one that’s made of black metal…”

“Black metal…” Momo muttered. “That’s new…”

“The Black Ship?” Zig suggested.

The old man nodded. “Ah, yes, you know it as the Black Ship… it’s a large ocean-going transport and is completely automated, so if you could get aboard it somehow…”

“Then it’ll take us back to where it came from, the other side!” the princess shouted excitedly.

“Oh boy!” Momo cried, even more excited than her. “I wonder how the ships from the other side look like!”

Rei seemed hesitant. “Uh oh, I sure hope it’s not like the boat we came on…”

“Thanks, Kukuys.” Ryu smiled. “You sure helped us out.”

“Don’t mention it.” Kukuys stood by the window, gazing out onto the sea. “Though it beats me why you want to go there…” His voice was tinged with sadness and bitterness.

The Dragon glanced at him in concern, then turned to face his companions. “We should go.”

The others just nodded silently and boarded the ship once more, Zig hesitated, looking as though he wanted to give him a piece of his mind for deceiving him and so many other sailors for being a so-called Legendary Mariner, but in the end decided otherwise and joined the rest, leaving the old man to contemplate on his past life on the other side of the ocean.

And the parrot perched on his shoulder, whistling softly to cheer him up.

 

* * *

 

“Are you REALLY crazy enough to do it?!” Rei cried.

“I only said it MIGHT work!” the engineer retorted, her rabbit ears perked up.

They were all on the upper deck (save for Peco, who was once again snoozing happily in the sun), discussing of a way to stop the Black Ship long enough for them board and make it set course for the other side. Though, of course, for Rei and Momo, the discussion soon lapsed into an argument.

“That’s really enough, you two…” Ryu said in exasperation.

Honey, who was on his shoulder, merely nodded.

“That’s right!” Nina stood straight, her hands placed on her hips in a tomboyish manner. “Now it’s either you two suggest another way for us to stop the ship, or we proceed with the plan!”

That certainly shut them up.

“…I really doubt it’ll work…” Momo hesitated, aiming properly with her cannon. “But here goes! Yah!”

With her chrysm cannon, a shot was fired the best she could. The chrysm energy travelled through the air at top speed, moving at a forty-five degrees angle, curved slightly and then crashed onto the bow of the Black Ship like a meteor. However, the black metal the ship was made was proven to be very strong, as the shot barely even scratched it.

“See!” the engineer shouted triumphantly. “I don’t think we can stop it that way!”

Rei, whose eyes were the sharpest, then abruptly yelled, “Hey, look! Something’s moving there!”

“Huh? What?” the Dragon said.

Everyone else turned towards the Black Ship, wondering what the half-tiger was yelling about. They were all just in time to see a turret gun, one of many at the side of the deck, spin around to get a better aim at them.

And a million shots rained down on them!

“WARGH!!” Rei exclaimed.

“Ahh!!” the women screamed.

“Zig!” Ryu cried as loud as he could. “Get us out of here! QUICK!!”

“Aye aye, captain!” the sailor answered from the bridge, and turned the boat so abruptly that most of them were thrown onto the deck. Within moments, it sped away from the now ferocious Black Ship.

However, apparently it was not interested in pursuing them, for after they were out of range, it left them alone. Once the Rhapala boat had settled down on the calm waters of the Middle sea and everyone recovered from the shock of being attacked, Rei and Momo were back to arguing once more.

“What were you thinking?!”

“Are you saying it’s my fault?!”

“Who else are crazy enough to do that anyway?!”

“You!!”

Sighing at yet another argument, the others left them alone and at met up on the other end of the deck, where they found Peco still snoozing away.

“Pefuuuuuu…” he snored.

“Wow, after all that, he’s still sound asleep.” The princess giggled. “How does he do that?”

Ryu chuckled. “Who knows?”

“Well, anyway…” She sat on a crate. “We need a new plan of some sort now… there’s got to be something we can do, right?”

Garr crossed his arms. “I think we will have trouble not once we are aboard the ship… and that seems to be the problem, is it not?”

“Attacking the ship doesn’t work…” Ryu turned his two companions. “I think I’ll try flying over.” He shrugged. “I won’t know exactly what to do once I’m on board, but at least we can try, right?”

He gave a nod. “Do be careful.”

“Right.” With that, Ryu took on the Warrior Dragon form in a burst of light, his long golden hair flowing in the wind.

“Good luck!” Nina said, waving.

The Dragon nodded and rose gracefully into the air, facing the Black Ship. There was quite a distance between the two ships, but he could easily cover the distance in a mere period of three seconds. Once he was near enough, he slowed down, approaching gingerly, wondering if the weaponry on the ship would fire at him the same way earlier.

It did.

With a low whir, the nearest two turrets turned in his direction, adjusted their vertical angle, and sent a series of flame-hot shots at him.

He gave a high roar of surprise and quickly flew out of the way, just as the shots crashed into the sea and created a pillar of sea water that leaped upwards.

Okay, so it was a bad idea.

With another idea in his mind, he transformed once more, this time into the serpentine form of the Tiamat. He paused for a moment, wondering if he would feel any evil from the form like the time he was nearly possessed in Dauna Mine… but after some time, nothing happened. Sighing with relief, he lowered himself into the water and slithered easily through the sea, approaching the ship slowly.

Would the weaponry target him once more?

Unfortunately, yes.

One small part of the ship’s metal hull, which was submerged underwater, suddenly separated to reveal something – rockets. With a loud _whoosh_ , two rockets were fired towards him, leaving a trail of thick smoke behind them, with the intention of incinerating him.

In another burst of light, he took on the Pygmy form, which gave a loud shriek as he turned and sped through the water like an incredibly speedy fish, very well ahead of the rockets. When he neared the Guild’s ship, he shot out of the water like a flying fish, glowing brightly, and landed on next to Garr on his human feet.

“Never again I’ll try approaching a weapon-filled ship!” Ryu declared, breathing rapidly from the adrenaline. “No matter what Dragon form I take!”

Nina giggled. “Must have been really scary.”

Taking a deep breath, he straightened. “So… what now? Attacking it didn’t work, and neither does even flying close…”

“Hm, mayhap it is time to see if our two lovebirds have finished their argument,” Garr stated and began striding towards the remaining two of their companions.

True enough, the duo seemed to have cooled off a little, though they still had a scowl on their faces and were facing away from each other with their arms crossed. Ryu decided to speak to them separately, for his sanity’s sake.

“If that dummy hadn’t attacked it like that,” Rei muttered angrily. “It wouldn’t have gotten angry and come after us, you know…”

“Um, okay…” was all his blue-haired companion could say.

Momo, on the other hand, was not as stubborn. “So what are we going to do now? The shot didn’t work earlier…”

“We’re not sure on what to do, either,” Nina admitted. “Ryu tried flying on board, which didn’t work. We’ve asked everyone else, but no one seems to have a clue.”

“Hm…” She looked thoughtful, then shouted as an idea hit her, “Oh, I know! We could ram it!”

“Ram it?!” the half-tiger exclaimed upon hearing her, facing her. “Are you NUTS?!!”

“Nuts?! I don’t hear you suggesting anything, wise guy!!”

The Dragon blinked. “…they don’t let up, do they?”

Nina nodded. “Seems like it.”

“If we are to ram the ship, might I suggest doing it from its rear?” Garr crossed his arms. “Perchance it will not strike us.”

“Ramming the ship… it sounds scary.” The princess grinned. “But it’s also exciting at the same time!”

Ryu stared at her. “I don’t think it’s that exciting…”

Zig, on the other hand, was pretty much in agreement with Nina, though at first he was shocked.

“What?!” his booming voice shouted, audible all over the ship. “Ram it?!!”

The Dragon winced at his loud voice. “Um, I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the only w–”

Then, suddenly, he gave a loud guffaw. “Bwahaha! All right!! That’s what I hope you’d say!” He grinned and flexed his biceps. “Leave it to great ol’ Zig!!”

“…somehow, that doesn’t sound reassuring…” Ryu muttered as the ship began to pick up speed.

“Here we go!” the sailor yelled. “Full speed AHEEEAAAAAD!!”

“No, Zig!” he cried. “Not yet! I said not yeeeEEEEET!!”

The ship suddenly accelerated violently, moving at such incredible speed that both Ryu and Nina lost their balanced and were pulled back towards the further wall of the bridge by the sheer force of inertia!

“Aaah!!” the princess screamed. “Zig! Stop!!”

“Bwahaha!! You ain’t seen nothing yet!” With a big grin, he shouted, “YEAH!!”

And the ship picked up even more speed!

Outside, on deck, chaos ensued once more. When the ship suddenly accelerated, Rei yowled once more and instinctively dug his claws into the floorboard in an attempt to keep himself balanced, which resulted in more high-pitched screeches. Garr had one strong arm around a rail, with the other holding onto Peco’s legs, and Momo was clinging onto another rail, screaming.

“How the heck can this damn ship even go this fast?!!” the half-tiger yelled. “I’m NEVER taking this ship again!!!”

“PUKYUUUU!!!!” Peco exclaimed, having being abruptly awakened by a speeding boat.

“The ship’ll hold!” Momo cried, covering her eyes with one hand. “At least, I hope it’ll hold!! AAAAHH!!”

“Here it comes… here it comes…” Rei chanted, his wide eyes glued to the incoming Black Ship, and then yelled, “OH NO, HERE IT COMES! WAAAARRGH!!”

_**KABOOMDISHZOMGAAAAHHPADUMDISHBOOMCRAAAAAASH!!!!!!** _

 

* * *

 

It had been chaos while the ship was speeding, but even after it had long stopped, the aftermath of the ship was even more chaotic; Garr was lying on the floor flat on his face, while Momo lay sprawled near the edge with Peco on her head, dizzy and dazed. Both Ryu and Nina had fallen down the ladder from the bridge and into the bedroom, with Ryu lying among the scattered furniture and Nina (fortunately) landed on an upright bed. Rei, however, was unfortunate enough to fall right overboard and was clinging onto the railing for dear life.

“Heh heh… there ya go!” Zig said triumphantly, resting his hands on his knees and bending to look at Ryu and Nina in the bedroom below. “Told ya I was good for sumthin’, eh?!”

“Zig…” the Dragon muttered, a dazed look on his face. “I’ll talk to you later when… everything stops spinning…”

“…pui…” came Peco’s whimper from the outside.

“HALP!!” Rei cried.

 

* * *

 

Despite being hit with a ship a third of its size, the Black Ship showed no signs of aggressiveness, unlike before. The damage on its side was a mere minimum, with a slight dent towards the bottom, but as for Rhapala’s ship, its bow was crushed beyond recognition.

“…well, the Guildmaster did say to use this ship all you want…” Zig said. “They’re getting new ships soon, anyway.”

“Don’t worry about it, Zig!” Momo said cheerfully. “The engine’s perfectly fine, so it’ll hold until you get back!”

“So, what now?” the half-tiger asked, his tail bobbing up and down. “Do we get onto the ship or what?”

She nodded. “Yeah. If we get to the bridge, we should be able to figure out how the automated systems work and how to set it to return to the other side.”

“Let’s go then,” Ryu stated. “It might take a while to find the bridge…”

The interior of the ship was such a spectacular place that it blew everyone’s mind. While the Rhapala boat was made of wood and had one engine running below, the Black Ship was made entirely of black metal. Everywhere they turned were machinery that gave it a futuristic look that seemed even more advanced than that of Palet’s hidden facilities at the plant.

“Wow!” Momo exclaimed, running a few steps forward. “Look at this! It’s so different from the ships they use in Rhapala!”

“Momo!” Nina cried. “Look out!”

“Huh? Wh–”

“Idiot!!” Rei growled as he leaped forward, with a speed that none of them could match, and quickly pulled her back by the collar as a beam of laser fried the floor she was standing on.

And before them, a group of machine soldiers, shaped like a gigantic gorilla, stood with their eyes flashing red.

“INTRUDER ALERT,” they chorused in metallic voices. “BEGIN EXTERMINATION.”

“Man, doesn’t this just beat all?” Rei pulled out his dual daggers. “Can’t you just stay out of trouble?”

“What? Trouble follows me whenever you’re here!” Momo countered.

The azure-haired man shook his head in exasperation. “Looks like this will be a long journey…”

 

* * *

 

The trip in search of the ship’s bridge was certainly long. Not only the group had to put up with a constant stream of machine soldiers, they also had to put up with a constant stream of argument from Momo and Rei – suddenly quarrelling seemed to be their newest hobby.

But they finally reached their destination in the end.

The bridge was, unlike the rest of the ship’s interior, more spacious. The only machinery here was the controls, sitting in the centre of the space in a U-shaped counter, facing the transparent glass walls that allowed the sunlight to shine in. Through the glass, they could see the front half of the ship’s deck, and beyond that was the great blue sea.

At the sight of the controls, Momo stopped in awe and thought hard.

“Hm… looks like…” She frowned as she played around with the controls. “It looks like this is used to set the ship’s destination. If we restart this, it’ll do just what Kukuys said – it’ll go back across the sea.”

“I see, that’s what we’re aiming for.” Ryu nodded. “Do you think you’ll be able to do it?”

She grinned. “Of course!” Then the grin turned into a sheepish smile. “But it might take me some time.”

“Take as much as you need, Momo!” Nina said brightly. “We’re counting on you!”

“Thanks!”

Rei shrugged. “Well, I’ll bet she’ll take a long time on this…”

“Why you…!!”

The others had no comment.

The onion tilted his head a little in puzzlement. “Pui?”

 

* * *

 

“Hey!” Zig half-shouted, once all six had returned to the upper deck about two hours later. “Looks like the Black Ship’s starting to move!”

“Yeah, so that means it’s time for us to go.” Nina smiled, turning towards the sailor. “Thanks for everything, Zig.”

“Sure!” He grinned. “Be careful, eh?”

Ryu, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke, “…everyone.” The serious tone of his voice made the others turn towards him in surprise.

“Huh?” Momo said, surprised. “What is it, Ryu?”

“Once we get across the sea… to the other side…” His voice was forlorn as he bowed his head, closing his eyes. “…it’s only going to get more dangerous from now on. We may lose even our lives.”

The princess gazed at him in concern. “Ryu…?”

“So that’s why…” He looked up at them, his voice hardened, a look of determination on his face. “…that’s why I ask you, please let me go on alone from here.”

“WHAT?!!” most of them exclaimed.

“How can you say that, Ryu?!” Nina was the first to shout. “There’s no way I’m not going with you!”

“She’s right!” Rei cried. “Do you think we’re just going to let you go on a suicide mission?!”

Momo, for once, was on agreeing terms with him. “Yeah! We’ve come so far, we can’t leave now!”

“Pukyu KYU!!” Peco protested just as loudly, bouncing madly up and down, with Honey desperately clinging onto his head.

For quite some time, the Guardian did not speak while the other four protested noisily, with an expression of pure calm on his face. Then, he cleared his throat, to silence the others, and spoke.

“…Ryu.” He folded his arms across his chest. “When they chose to accompany you on your quest, they had already known it to be dangerous.” He gazed at the Dragon. “Even more so after Deis told us the truth.”

“I… know.” Ryu returned the gaze, though not as determined now. “But this journey… this battle is mine. My destiny as Lord Ladon’s warrior is to fight Myria until I die. And in my battles, I led so many to their deaths…” He slowly closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. “It’s not too late for you to turn back where it’s safe…”

Everyone else remained silent, not quite knowing what to say.

“…Ryu…” Nina approached him and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. “Ryu, we’re not your soldiers, you’re not leading us to die.” She smiled slightly. “We’re your companions, to support you in your hardship.”

“That’s right!” the engineer agreed. “And friends stick together, okay?”

“Look, Ryu, I know how you feel about things, but eh…” Rei rubbed the back of his head. “You’ll only make me feel like I’ve lost another brother, y’know?”

“I, too, feel the same.” Garr, putting an arm across his chest, then bowed towards him. “And I have sworn to the lives of the Brood that I stole; while I draw breath, harm shall not befall you.”

The azure-haired man gazed at all of them, a smile beginning to form on his face. “Everyone…”

“Geez, lighten up, Ryu!” Rei shrugged. “We’re going together, and that’s that!” He leaped onto the upper deck of the Black Ship and spun around towards them. “And wipe that look off your face! You look like you want people to use your face as a mop to swab the deck!”

That ridiculous, out-of-place statement was just what they needed to lighten the mood, for everyone burst into laughter, with Zig being the loudest and Ryu looking extremely embarrassed. Even Garr could not suppress a chuckle, while Peco was rolling and rolling on the floor.

As they all parted with Zig, who sailed back towards Rhapala, the Black Ship then turned and headed out to the sea.

Ryu then closed his eyes, feeling the energy flow within him, and a golden light formed in the middle of his forehead. Immediately after, a sphere of the same golden light appeared above his head, shining very brightly even in the sunlight, and a thin beam shot from it, extending all the way to the horizon.

Garr gazed upward, to the beam of golden light that acted as a guide. “The road to the Goddess… to the Goddess that I… and Ryu… must meet…”

“Correction,” Nina interrupted. “The Goddess that we all must meet!”

“That’s right!” Rei declared.

Ryu smiled, feeling a renewed determination. He had great friends, no doubt about it, and the bond among them unconsciously grew stronger.

“ _And that bond’s important, Ryu,”_ Ladon’s voice whispered.

He knew. And he would not let them down.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, in the game, I get confused between the Inner Sea and the Middle Sea. Sometimes they call it Inner Sea, sometimes they call it Middle Sea. So I changed it in such a way that the Inner Sea is the circle of water that connects Rhapala to Junk Town and all the other towns, while the Middle Sea is the transition between the Inner Sea and the Outer Sea. Less confusing that way. o_o
> 
> And shisu = sushi? Why can’t they just call it sushi? Copyrighted name?
> 
> Also, please don’t mind that “KABOOM DISH ZOMG AAAAHH PADUMDISH BOOM CRAAAAAASH” phrase… it’s completely unprofessional, yeah, but I couldn’t help it. xP I was going for the classic cartoon crash, those chaotic sound effects in a series of crashes (like in Tom and Jerry, when Tom rolls helplessly and crashes into xx number of breakable ornaments, or like in Bugs Bunny, when Daffy Duck goes into a room full of explosives, you get the idea). Except this is my own version of a very chaotic crash!
> 
> It consists of kaboom (your typical boom sound), dish (please refer to “pa-dum-dish” later in this sentence!), zomg (my classic exclamation, a variation of omg), aaaahh (a yell), pa-dum-dish (some of my online male friends do this to imitate a drum!), boom (a simpler typical boom sound) and, of course, it wouldn’t be complete without a crash!
> 
> I had fun with that line. :D


	27. Twenty-Four: Lost Shore

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Lost Shore**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

The Black Ship, unlike Rhapala’s ever-trembling boat, remained perfectly stable even after making the transaction from the Middle Sea to the Outer Sea. Everyone, especially Rei, was extremely glad of this – even if the cruise to the other side took more than a few days, at least they wouldn’t be worrying for their lives.

Once all of them felt relaxed enough, they parted and explored the ship, then eventually settled down on their own around their favourite area of the ship.

It wasn’t long before Nina started looking around for Ryu, however.

As she explored the interior of the ship, she found Garr in a secluded hallway. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closed, his hands on his knees. Gaist’s halberd, now his sole weapon, leaned against the wall beside him, close enough to be wielded in case of danger.

“Oh, hey, Garr,” she called, as she approached him in a secluded hallway. “What’re you doing here?”

Upon hearing the princess, at first he remained silent, but after a few long seconds passed, he looked up and answered, “…I am meditating.”

“Meditating?” she echoed, kneeling beside him. “To focus your mind?”

He nodded. “We are needed to focus our minds on the sole reason of our existence; to serve our Goddess. We can stray not from our path, and we must remain ever vigilant in our task. Meditation assists with that… but…” His voice trailed off, then he regained his composure. “I now meditate to sharpen my mind for battle.”

“I… see.”

He stood up slowly, towering over Nina, and gazed at her. “Worry not, Nina. Though I have sworn to serve the Goddess in the past, I no longer wish to take the life of the Brood. Now my only wish is to seek the truth.”

She smiled. “I’m glad, Garr.”

“Now…” Stretching his wings, he asked, “What is it that you seek?”

“I’m looking for Ryu, have you seen him anywhere about?”

“Ryu? No, I have seen him not. Mayhap outside?”

“Oh, okay. Thanks, Garr!” With that, she darted down the hallway, waving goodbye at him.

Garr shook his head, chuckling slightly. “With some hope, perhaps Ryu will finally realise her feelings soon…”

And, as he headed out to the upper deck, into the sunlight, he caught sight of Peco, desperately running away from Honey, who seemed to be having fun chasing him.

 

* * *

 

“Whew, it’s hot out there!” Rei cried, sweating furiously as he barged into the bedroom and threw himself on the bed. “Man, doesn’t that just beat all?”

“Hm?” Momo, who was sitting on another bed, looked up from the book. “Oh, hi, Rei. Want some tea?”

He blinked. “Huh? Oh, sure.”

As he brought a glass, the engineer poured him some tea from the teapot.

“Thanks.” He took a sip; the tea was nice. It was only some time later that he realised with a start and stood up quickly. “What the heck?! Where did you get the tea from?”

“I brought it along!” Momo pulled out a packet of tea leaves from her bag that contained numerous books. “See?”

“Oh, right.” He sat on the bed once more, cross-legged, and drank his tea in one big gulp. As he held out his cup for another round, he asked, “So… you like tea?”

“Yeah!” she answered cheerfully. “It helps me think when I’m focused on a project, and it tastes great!”

“Um, okay… I’m not too fond of it, but yeah.” His gaze focused on her. “You seem kinda cheerful today.”

She shrugged. “You haven’t thrown a bad remark at me all day today, so I should be asking you what’s wrong!”

“I haven’t?” The half-tiger thought hard. “Oh, you’re right… I wonder why.”

And once again, they lapsed into another awkward silence. It was clear to them that the other was acting differently towards each other, as they had not even started arguing yet.

“Um…” The red-haired woman set down her book, unable to read further. “So… are you going to tell me why you came along with us on this journey?”

He half-shrugged. “Well, this is a fine time to ask, now that we can’t go back!”

“N-no, I mean–”

To her surprise, he chuckled. “Heh, you’re so easy to tease; it’s hard to believe you’re a genius!”

“Hey!” she immediately shouted. “Take that back!”

Instead of retaliating, he chuckled a little once more. Then, he started in a soft voice, “…well, you’ve no doubt heard about what happened to me from Ryu, or Nina.” He shook his head sadly. “It was a long ten years…”

Her eyes softened in concern. “…Rei…”

“I’m over it now, though. All’s left is this… want to know the truth.” Holding up his left hand before his face, he clenched it tightly, the muscles in his arms showing beneath the thin layer of stripped golden fur. “Even if my power and the Brood’s aren’t quite the same level, they’re like one and the same, yeah? So, if we go meet the Goddess or whoever…” Determination burned in his eyes. “I can find out why such destructive power exists!”

“Such a great power in this world…” She shook her head. “It’s quite hard to come in terms with it…”

He chuckled again. “Yeah, Ryu could’ve flattened us with his Dragon tail if he wanted to. But enough about that; now it’s your turn.” He glanced sideways at her. “Why did you come along? Just to learn about machines?”

She blushed. “That’s one part of it…”

He grinned. “Then?”

“Well…” She gazed forward, a strange distant look washing over her face. “Back when I was in my tower home, working on projects in seclusion, my mind’s always on machines and science. But when I was with Ryu and everyone else, ten years ago, it opened my eyes a little – there are more to this world than just science.”

Rei, who had a low opinion on machines, refrained from commenting.

“Then Ryu disappeared, and I went back to machines,” she continued. “But it’s just not the same anymore; there’s something out there, about the Brood, about the Guardians, and the Goddess. It’s like reading a mystery, in a way… it gets you all excited about finding out the truth, and you’ll try to find out about it, no matter what.”

“…let me get this straight…” He grinned cheekily. “You want to find out about the truth because for you, this is like another research of another sort?”

Flustered, she shook her head quickly. “No! That’s not what I meant, and you know it!”

The half-tiger laughed heartily.

“Hey, guys!” Nina’s voice interrupted, as its owner came in through the door. “Have you two seen Ryu?”

“Hm…” Momo looked thoughtful. “Ryu just got a fishing rod from Parch, so wouldn’t he be fishing or something?”

The winged girl realised with a start. “Oh, that’s right! Why didn’t I think of that?” He started heading out the door. “Thanks!”

Then the door was closed, and the sounds of hurried footsteps echoed along the hallway.

Rei faced Momo, flashing another cheeky grin. “…wanna go check it out?”

She returned the grin. “Of course!”

 

* * *

 

True enough, there Ryu was, sitting on a shaded metal platform near the edge of the deck, his eyes focused on the gleaming surface of the sea, one hand around the handle of the fishing rod. He seemed to be lost in thoughts, because even as the princess approached with audible footsteps, he did not look up.

“A zenny for your thought?” she asked, settling down beside him.

Ryu jumped a little, apparently started to find her beside him. “W-what?! Oh, it’s you, Nina…” He took a deep breath to calm himself, then embarrassment showed on his face. “You gave me a fright.”

She giggled. “I can’t believe you didn’t even hear me coming.” She focused on him, her eyes lingering on his face. “So… what were you thinking about?”

“Just sorting out my memories.” He gazed fondly at her. “It’s getting better now, thanks to you.”

She felt surprised. “Me? How come?”

“Well… you see…” He hesitated, turning his eyes back onto the sea. “I’m not sure if you remember this, but…” He took another deep breath. “You’ve always been here, beside me, even all those years ago when I’ve fought Myria a few times.”

Her eyes widened. “Eh?! Really?”

He nodded, still somewhat hesitantly. “You’ve always been around with me, even though you had different hairstyles and clothes then… at one time, you even had dark wings, back when I had to fight demons that the Goddess created.” He turned towards her, smiling slightly. “The memories were easy to sort; all I have to do is put them together based on your appearance.”

She returned the smile. “I’m glad I could help somehow, Ryu. I guess that explains why we became such good friends almost immediately…”

She trailed off when she caught his eyes on her; a look that sent a pleasant shiver along her spine. They stared into each other’s blue eyes, aware of the electricity building between them, an expression of fondness washing over their faces. They drew closer, their eyes gleaming with a message that words could not convey.

The timing was right.

They knew it.

As their arms wove around the other, around Ryu’s waist and Nina’s shoulder, their eyes closed in anticipation.

Then, their lips met.

It was pure bliss.

And nostalgic.

A love so strong that it survived through centuries of lives, against countless wars, countless hurdles.

A love that transcended Time.

Even the Goddess could not break them apart.

 

* * *

 

“Whoo!!” Rei cried, almost too loudly. “There they go!”

The engineer grinned. “Wow, they really did it!”

“Pui pui!!” Peco yelled excitedly, bouncing on his feet.

The Guardian shook his head. “Perchance a lower voice can be considered…”

Honey nodded exasperatedly.

“Garr! Aren’t you happy for them?!” the half-tiger demanded. “I mean, they’re your friends too!”

“That’s right!” Momo agreed, putting her hands on her hips.

“That is what I intended to convey not…” Garr crossed his arms. “But do you realise not that they would sooner discover us if you are too loud?”

“Oh…” Both Rei and Momo seemed embarrassed.

Even the onion realised his mistake. “Pyu…”

Garr gave a rare smile. “But perhaps both of you are to be another couple…” There was a slight teasing note in his voice.

“WHAT?!!” they exclaimed loudly. “NO WAY!!!”

“Garr! How could you say that?!!” the red-haired woman added, flustered.

Suddenly, at that very moment, the loud, intrusive sound of an alarm rang across the ship, signalling that something was amiss on the ship. It surprised everyone, making them jump.

Momo’s eyes widened. “The alarm system! Quick! Everyone, to the bridge!”

Startled, everyone else complied without a word, and Ryu and Nina’s love scene, together with the prospects of a new couple, were quickly forgotten.

 

* * *

 

At the bridge, all six of them gathered. The engineer immediately ran to the control panel and pressed several buttons continually, her fingers moving deftly across the panel.

“H-hey!” Rei started anxiously. “We’re not going to sink, are we?!”

“Nooooo…” she denied immediately, without turning away from the panels.

“Pyu pyu!” Peco cried, bouncing up and down.

“Relax, Peco… and look!” She pointed at the screen, which showed a map of the ship, with an area on the front upper deck highlighted in a flashing crimson colour.

“That’s a map of the ship…” Ryu shook his head. “Does it mean there’s something out there?”

She nodded. “There’s a problem on the upper deck, near the ship’s bow…”

“We should investigate,” Garr stated.

“Okay. I’ll stay here in case something’s wrong with the controls.” Momo gave them a thumbs-up. “Good luck!”

“Can I not go…?” Rei muttered. “I mean, it’s all water around…”

If looks could kill, the cold stare that the Guardian gave him would have already killed him. So, meekly, he followed like a subdued cat, with Peco following obediently behind.

Ryu and Nina glanced at each other and grinned at their half-tiger companion.

 

* * *

 

As they emerged in the sunlight from a ladder, nothing seemed to be out of ordinary; there was nothing on deck that would have aroused the ship’s suspicious alarm system. They walked carefully across the deck, heading towards the prow, where the ship’s deck slanted downwards into the sea.

Even from where they were, however, careful observations revealed that the bow had hit something large, for there was a shadow beneath the gleaming blue waters.

“Something hit the ship, I think…” the princess stated.

As the others moved forward slowly, the half-tiger spoke in a rather doubtful voice.

“I dunno… I mean,” he said nervously, “I can’t even stand straight here! What if something happens?!”

“Pyu…” Peco agreed, also seemingly rather doubtful.

Just then, a loud sound made them freeze in their tracks, with four of them preparing their weapons… then something HUGE leaped from the waters, forming a pillar of water, and landed in front of them!

It was the strangest monster they had ever seen; a green oval-shaped monster with a face that resembled an insect and numerous tentacles like an octopus. On its back was a shiny red plate, with purple stripes, similar to the back of a ladybug, and six purple wings in the shape of flower petals emerged from below the red plate on its back, flapping to keep it airborne. Along its side were holes that opened and closed as it hovered; perhaps they were breathing holes.

“Graaaah!!” it roared at them.

“Doesn’t this just beat all?!” Rei immediately got into a battle stance. “It’s only the first day, and we’re already going to be fish food!!”

“Puuuuuui!!” The onion sounded mad, even excited, as he bounced.

“Uh, I doubt it’s actually a fish…” Ryu muttered.

And, at that very moment, another one of those creatures leaped from the sea in another pillar of water and landed before them, looking just as ferocious as the first.

“Hm, these are Ammonites…” Garr appeared thoughtful. “We should back up until we can get a solid footing.”

Rei sighed. “NOW you tell us…”

Nina nodded. “We should move slowly, so that we don’t aggravate these creatures while we’re at a disadvantage…”

One step at a time, they moved back towards the centre of the ship, with their eyes focused on the monsters and their hands gripping on their weapons. Anxious to get as far away from them, however, Rei and Peco began to pick up their pace in fear… which was a bad idea. The Ammonites, roaring loudly at their escaping prey, started to pick up speed as well.

Very soon, they were all racing back towards the ladder, with Rei leading the pack!

“GRAAAHH!!” one of the Ammonites yelled.

“WARGH!!” the half-tiger shouted as he ran. “Get away, you freaks!!”

Then, sensing that they had caught up to their preys, the monsters leaped high into the air.

Their tentacles extended, and aimed for them.

Suddenly, the Black Ship’s turret guns sprang to life, spinning around from their idle position to take a good aim at the Ammonites, and fired a million chrysm-powered shots at them, as golden as the sun.

The Ammonites roared in pain as they drew back sharply in mid-air, their tentacles shielding their faces, but the turret guns were relentless, constantly firing high-speed shots at them. Roaring once more, the monsters retreated quickly and dived back into the waters.

“Phew, that was close!” Momo exclaimed, as she run up to them. “Good thing this ship has its own defence system!”

Garr nodded. “I am thankful. Mayhap we need not worry about intruders in future.”

“Pui!” the onion replied.

Rei sighed gratefully. “That’s great… we won’t have to go through THAT again!”

 

* * *

 

By the twentieth day, land interrupted the blue surface of the sea. At first it was only a thin line of land, visible only to Rei’s sharp eyes, but not long after, sandy land filled most of their northern view, with a town right in the middle. That seemed to be the Black Ship’s destination.

They cheered.

The crossing of the ocean was over.

“We finally made it!” Nina was the first to shout, beaming.

“Hm… but it doesn’t look that much different from our side, does it?” The engineer sounded a little disappointed.

Rei shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe there are monsters here the size of the Black Ship?”

Ryu shook his head. “I definitely hope we won’t find one…”

“We should remember we are now in a new world.” The winged man crossed his arms. “Perhaps it would be prudent to keep on our toes.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The six of them descended, stepping on the long and narrow stone platform that was the town’s dock. From afar, this place looked as ordinary as a town like Rhapala, but upon entering the town itself, they found it rather clean and orderly, with floors tiled with stone and stone buildings with a strange pentagonal shape and shutter doors arranged in parallel and perpendicular to each other. At key locations, there were conveyer belts transporting machine scraps, which brought an excited gleam to Momo’s eyes, metal crates arranged in neat piles and metal girders that stood as decorative structures rather than supportive ones, which didn’t quite fit Ryu’s taste artistically.

The population seemed to comprise mostly of mechanical robots that hovered and did the work. There were people walking around town – though not green with four eyes as Ryu had imagined – and they were dressed in strange looking white jumpsuits, with different coloured collar and belt as their variations. They didn’t seem too surprised to see newcomers descending from the Black Ship, nor were they curious when the group inquired around about meeting the Goddess.

It was as though… they were machines.

It made the group uncomfortable.

From a particular dark-haired man, who spoke in an accent they all had never heard before, they learned the name of this town.

Kombinat.

The name didn’t ring any bell in Ryu’s mind, so it could be that this town was formed after his demise four hundred years ago.

After an hour of separated but fruitless enquiries, they gathered at the town’s entrance. As the sun had already turned the sky into an orange gold colour, they decided to camp outside… but just as they were about to leave, they heard a soft buzzing sound near them.

“…viguadeviu… bidebuvau…”

“What was that?” Ryu asked no one in particular.

“It sounded like…” Nina hesitated, uncertain. “…a voice?”

Honey, who was in Momo’s pocket, abruptly decided to leap, land on the floor with a crash, and run towards a particular pile of crates.

“Honey?!” the engineer exclaimed, chasing after her.

The other five pursued their red-haired companion, and they soon found her kneeling down next to a brown robot, examining it. It was almost humanoid in shape – with a glass sphere for a head attached directly to the body, and two arms that seemed strong enough for heavy work. It did not have legs, however; instead, it travelled on two wheels that were rather triangular in shape.

“Debuiaviu…” it buzzed.

“What’s this, Momo?” the princess asked.

“It’s a machine worker,” Momo explained without turning. “It’s supposed to be able to communicate with us humans using speech, but I’m guessing this one’s speech unit is busted.” She stopped, turning to the others with a big grin on her face, like a child with a new toy. “Isn’t this great?! I get to see how their machines look like!!”

“Uh, aren’t you forgetting something?” Rei shook his head. “We’re supposed to, you know, look for the Goddess?”

“Aw, c’mon! It’ll just take some time!”

“It is a problem not.” Garr gazed at the orange sky. “We should prepare to camp, and discuss our next course of action. Let her repair the machine if she wishes to.”

“Yahoo!!” Momo cheered, grinning. “C’mon, Honey, let’s look for spare parts!”

Without a second thought, she ran back into town, like an excited child in a race, followed closely by Honey and the brown robot.

“Pui!” Peco cried excitedly, bouncing after her.

Rei rolled his eyes. “Oh boy… doesn’t this just beat all? I’ll meet you guys back at the camp in a bit.” With that, he followed the engineer’s footsteps.

The golden-haired girl giggled.

Ryu faced her, curious. “What?”

“You don’t know?” A sly smile formed on her face. “One hint; two people are getting along pretty well with each other.”

“Huh? Wait, what?”

The Guardian chuckled as he turned and stepped out of town, into the wilderness.

More confused now, he glanced at both his companions. “Garr knows, too?”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to guess if you think hard enough, Ryu!” With another giggle, she followed after Garr.

“W-wait! How come I’m the only one who doesn’t know anything?”

In a small gust of wind, Ladon’s voice chuckled in his ear. _“I hate to say this, but I’ll have to call you a noob.”_

“A noob? What?”

Silence.

Realising he wasn’t going to get an answer, he sighed. “Oh, c’mon!” He ran to rejoin his companions in the wilderness. “Tell me!”

 

* * *

 

What greeted them beyond the stone walls of Kombinat was a long stretch of barren land. Unlike the continent they were used to, there were barely any trees, and the ground was rocky… not even grass grew here.

Among the hilly, rocky terrain, there were rows of metal wall stretching out from Kombinat, probably acting as borders.

And an ominous wind blew across the ground.

As darkness fell, Momo worked hard to repair the robot while her companions merely sat around the campfire in the silence. After the excitement earlier died down, all that was left in them were uncertainty and doubt.

It was uncomfortable.

“Man, these people over on this side…” Rei rubbed his head. “They’re like zombies or machines… no spunk in them at all.”

Nina nodded. “Like machines…”

“Doesn’t this just beat all?” Sighing, he rubbed the back of his head. “Who knows what’ll happen next, huh?”

“ _Scared?”_ the voice inside him sneered.

_Who, me? Hah! I’m here ‘cause I want to be! I could’ve just stayed on the other side, you know… I was happy just being a highwayman, yeah?_

Yet there was doubt in his heart.

… _okay, so… maybe I’m a little nervous…_

He sighed.

_I mean, who’d think we’d go off somewhere no one has gone before, looking for… the Goddess?! Sheesh! And what’s up with this Brood stuff, anyway?!_

 

Like Rei, Nina was conflicting with her own feelings.

“This is so unbelievable…” the princess started, attempting to start a conversation. “We’re the first people from our side to be over here, aren’t we?” She gazed at the starry night sky. “The extinct Brood… the Goddess of the Urkans… we’re searching for an answer to a mystery that could change the world…”

Ryu and Garr did not reply.

“If I stayed in Wyndia, I would’ve never experienced any of this, but…” She sighed softly, pulling the sheet closer around herself.

_I bet everyone back home at the castle… especially my mother… they must all be worried about me…_

“ _But being here is better than just being a princess, isn’t it?”_ the voice inside her argued.

Despair filled her heart.

_Maybe… but I’m just being selfish…_

“ _What’s most important for you is what you want for yourself!”_

_No! I can’t just think of myself, I have to think of others too…_

 

Even Garr did not escape from the doubt.

He stared silently into the fire, occasionally feeding it a log. All the doubts, all the guilt he had felt back when he was searching for Ryu, came rushing back into his heart.

_The land where the Goddess resides… the Goddess who does not heed my requests… have I chosen the right path?_

He then recalled what Ryu had said before, _“…no one has the right to take the life of another.”_

_Even if she was the Goddess, she had ordered us to kill the Dragonkin, yet they fought back not… what right did we have to take the life of these innocent beings…?_

“ _You are in no position to say that…”_ the voice inside him stated. _“Not when you have betrayed the one you have sworn your full loyalty to, the one who gave you the life and power you have today!”_

His eyes dulled.

… _yes… I have betrayed her…_

Then his resolve strengthened.

_For the sake of what I believe is right!_

 

As the ominous wind blew, Ryu closed his eyes. Even though this was his duty, even though it was something he had resolved to do, he still felt fear rising from within him. He doubted his own abilities…

_Can I… defeat her…?_

“ _Of course you can,”_ Ladon’s voice whispered into his ear. _“After all, you’re the embodiment of my power… your power can always match her mortal power.”_

_I lost to her four hundred years ago… but why? Why can’t I remember how?_

“… _all I can tell you is, it’s not important. If you believe in your power, you’ll succeed.”_

_I… hope so…_

“ _But if you want to be stubborn…well…”_ Ladon chuckled unexpectedly. _“I’ll just have to throw Nina into the fray and you’ll do your best, right?”_

_H-hey, that’s a low blow…_

 

Momo, however, was the only one who seemed excited to be on these new lands.

“Think about how amazing it is,” she said, “We may be able to figure out where all the machines we use came from!”

Rei slapped his forehead. “You and you machines…”

“But it’s great!”

Then, as she reattached the wires of a particular machine unit, she thought to herself.

_I wonder what my father would say if he was here… every engineer dreams of solving the mystery of the machines…_

She grinned inwardly to herself.

_And I’m going to do my best to see it’s me who finally solves the puzzle! That way you’ll be proud of me, right, Father?_

 

“Well, how are we going to look for this Goddess?” Rei broke the silence. “I mean, those zombie people don’t even know who or what the Goddess is, much less where she is.”

“We don’t have much to go on,” Nina admitted. “But I’m sure Ryu can show us the way again.”

The young man nodded. “Yeah. We have the direction, so all we have to do is look for the means to get there.”

“So it’s settled!” The princess stood up and stretched. “Tomorrow’s another big day, Ryu!”

 

* * *

 

“HEY, GUYS!!” Momo’s voice was loud in the morning, and she was there to shake everyone awake in the tent.

Still groggy from sleep, Ryu blinked as she woke him up. “W-what?”

Rubbing her eyes, the princess yawned. “What’s wrong, Momo?”

“Come outside with me!” she half-shouted in excitement. “I’ve something to show you guys!!”

Grumbling, Rei just rolled the other way. “Gerroff… lemme sleep…”

When she stomped over to the half-tiger and gave him a big kick that sent him yowling, the others hastily got up to avoid the same consequences.

What they saw outside surprised them.

Honey and the brown robot that Momo was fixing were gazing at a large piece of paper. What surprised the others was, the drawing was actually a small map, very crudely but clearly drawn.

“A… map?” There was a hint of interest in Garr’s voice.

“Yes, it’s a MAP!!” Momo grinned, holding up the paper for everyone to see. “I fixed Vivi here, and he worked together with Honey last night to make this map!”

“Wow!” Nina exclaimed, and all of them glanced at both the robot and Honey.

“GREETINGS,” a metallic voice came from the brown robot. “MY SERIAL NUMBER IS 9934256-7123342-SR. MISS MOMO HAS GIVEN ME THE NAME VIVI.”

“Isn’t it a great name or what?!” the engineer said proudly.

“WITH HELP FROM THIS NAVIGATOR SOLDIER–” Vivi gestured to Honey. “–WE ARE ABLE TO COMPILE A MAP THAT WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COLONY.”

Rei rubbed the back of his head. “The… Colony?”

“THAT IS THE NAME OF AN ABANDONED SETTLEMENT, WHERE THERE IS AN ANCIENT DEVICE THAT MAY BE OF USE TO YOU. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE TO RETURN TO MY MASTER IN KOMBINAT, BUT I HAVE ENTRUSTED THE DIRECTIONS TO THE NAVIGATOR SOLDIER.”

Ryu nodded, smiling. “It’s good enough. Thanks for your help, Vivi.”

“Hurray!” the princess cheered. “We have a lead now!”

The half-tiger crossed his arms. “Psh! I’m not going to believe it’s because of that so-called genius!”

“I heard that!” Momo cried. “Numbskull!!”

“Hey!!”

Everyone else laughed; they were all certainly in high spirits again.

 

* * *

 

Halfway through the first day, they passed through a place called Steel Grave, which is just a junkyard with mountains of scrap machines. It reminded Ryu of Junk Town, only on a much bigger scale.

The journey to the Colony itself lasted two days in total. They often walked in silence, their footsteps audible on the grey, barren ground, and Peco was the only green thing near them as far as they could see.

But when they arrived at the Colony, Ryu was surprised to find the old remains of a temple, a pyramid-like stone building. A great staircase loomed above them, leading to the room at the top of building. However, what caught his eye was the design on the wall that was rather familiar to him…

Was this a place he had visited in the past?

It seemed to be.

A soft voice, familiar to his ears, beckoned to him, pleaded to him to come. He turned towards it, his eyes searching for its owner. Several feet away, embedded in a wall, was a small chrysm crystal, with a modest colour reflected from the sun’s ray.

Ryu touched the crystal gently.

_Who… are you?_

“ _My lord,”_ came a cracked, relieved female voice, belonging to an old woman. _“I am glad to have met you again before I fade away…”_

Yes, the voice was familiar. But where had he met her?

Ryu closed his eyes.

_I… remember now. This place used to be a shrine for the Dragons… and you used to be the head priestess here, aren’t you?_

“ _Aye, my lord, I am honoured to be part of your memories. This was once a place of activity, full of devotees and followers…”_ She heaved a sad sigh. _“All that changed after your departure, my lord, and I remained the only one left here, to protect this holy place…”_

_I… see…_

“ _But over time, I grew old and frail, and this place grew forsaken, infested with monsters…”_ Then her voice trembled. _“Will you… forgive me, my lord? Will you and Lord Ladon forgive me…?”_

He smiled.

_Of course. Come with us, you won’t have to protect this place on your own anymore._

“ _Oh, my lord…!”_ Her voice was filled with joy. Gladness. _“Thank you! Thank you!!”_

From the chrysm crystal came a great burst of light that engulfed Ryu, and feelings of gladness and relief washed over him, belonging to the spirit. He felt his body changing shape, growing larger, longer.

When the light faded, a serene Dragon floated above everyone else. Its serpentine body curved gracefully, its golden-white scales were like sunlight. The white feathers at the end of its tail spread like a fan, and the ones on its head spread like a mane, like a lion that would die to protect its family.

And its wings, white and feathery, spread open at its sides.

It was like gazing at an angel.

The Quetzalcoatl. The Radiant Dragon.

The one who died trying to protect the heritage of the Brood.

His companions gazed upward at the Dragon that was like the sun, unable to take their eyes off, in awe of its holy beauty.

“It’s so… pretty,” Nina said.

Rei nodded. “Yeah… it’s like looking at the sun.”

In another flash of light, the Dragon disappeared and transformed back into Ryu. For a moment, he remained in silence, a look of quiet sadness on his face.

The princess approached him. “Ryu…?”

“Because of this war… my brethrens are forced to die and live on as spirits for centuries after…” He closed his eyes. “I wonder how it would’ve been if I had won four hundred years ago…”

The others remained silent.

Then, suddenly, Momo gave a cry and pointed. “Look! Up there!”

Everyone looked up; at the top of the pyramid-like structure, there was a large metal dish circling round and round – sometimes slowly, sometimes rapidly – there was a piece of metal stick emerging from its centre.

“A radar of some sort…?” the engineer wondered. “Maybe we can take a better look when we get closer.”

With that, everyone climbed the great stone staircase and entered the room at the top of the building.

Right in the centre of the square room was a raised purple platform, with a huge circular floor made of red reflective material. It seemed to be a pedestal, accompanied by a panel filled with numerous buttons.

“Hey...” Rei started. “Isn’t that…?”

Nina nodded. “It’s the same as the teleporting device in the basement of Wyndia Castle!”

Ryu turned towards them, surprised. “This is what you used to escape?”

“Hm…” Momo thought hard as she leaned over the panel, pressing a few keys. “If we use this, it looks like we can go anywhere we want!” Her eyes gleamed with excitement. “Oh boy! I wonder how they made this!”

The Guardian crossed his arms. “Perhaps you should focus on the task at hand…”

Realisation washed over her face. “Oh, yeah, that’s right. We’ll have to figure out how to work this thing before we can use it.”

On the engineer’s shoulder, Honey waved madly.

She looked up in surprise. “Huh? What is it, Honey?”

She gestured towards the panel several times.

Peco tilted his head. “Pui?”

“Maybe she’s telling you which button to press?” the Dragon suggested hopefully.

“Yeah, you may be right.” Momo carried Honey down and placed her on the panel. She watched in awe as the robot doll jumped onto some of the buttons. High beeping filled the air as she worked.

Suddenly, with a particularly long beep, a pillar of light shone upward from the circular floor, and a metallic voice spoke from the panel.

“Portal Drive activated. Target locked. Destination: Relay Point A.”

“Wow, great work, Honey!” the princess praised.

Honey rubbed the back of her head, seemingly embarrassed.

”Wait, does it still work in the first place, whatever it is?” Rei asked. “I mean, it’s pretty old, right?”

Ryu shrugged. “Yeah… no way to know unless we try it.”

He turned and stepped into the pillar of light. Everyone else followed suit – though Rei did it hesitantly – and a great burst of light abruptly engulfed their sight.

As soon as the light dimmed enough, the six of them stepped down from the portal and exited the room.

It was then when Honey ran down the steps and out of the room.

“W-wait, Honey!” Momo cried, chasing after her.

Outside the portal room, what greeted them was the interior of a steel building, filled with scrap metal and crates.

It looked suspiciously familiar, and it was Nina who got the answer first.

“Hey, isn’t this…” Her eyes widened. “The freighter in Steel Beach?! You know, near Junk Town in Urkan?!””

“What?!” Momo and Rei exclaimed simultaneously.

“Wait, I’ll go and confirm!”

Without waiting for an answer, she ran down the hallway and burst through the door at the end. A few minutes of waiting later, she returned with a look of disbelief on her face.

“It’s just as I thought!” she stated. “The Machine Guildsmen were surprised to see me, and they wanted to know how we got in!”

Rei sighed. “Man, doesn’t this just beat all? After all that trouble to get across the Outer Sea, we just end up right back where we started! We’ll never find the Goddess at this rate!”

“It’s really amazing!” Nina said excitedly. “With that portal machine, we travelled all the back here in the blink of an eye! Maybe the world’s not as big as we think it is?”

The engineer gave a cry, hitting a fist into her other hand. “That’s it!” She quickly turned to her companions. “Portals are relics from ancient times… from the Goddess’ time! Think about it; the world must be pretty small to the Goddess!”

“Uh huh…” The half-tiger crossed his arms, looking doubtful. “And then?”

“The Goddess – or rather, the people who made the machines – must have used these portals to travel around the world!

The winged girl seemed thoughtful. “In other words… you’re saying that the Goddess and the machines are connected somehow?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but…”

“Perhaps these machines are a gift…” Garr suggested. “…from the Goddess?”

“EXACTLY!! You took the words right out of my mouth!” Momo grinned excitedly. “So maybe by using the portals, we could travel right to wherever the Goddess is! C’mon!”

A few more beeping later, the pillar of light disappeared from the portal for five seconds and appeared once more, indicating that it was ready to be used. Then, the familiar metallic voice filled the air.

“Portal drive activated, target locked. Destination: Dragnier.”

Ryu froze.

Dragnier.

It was a name that stirred old memories in his mind.

 


	28. Twenty-Five: For the Dragons

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: For the Dragons**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

A shrine sat upon a grand staircase, gazing long at the golden sky, away from the setting sun. From within, the shining portal took a glimpse of the spectacular view outside. Broken walls of stone sat forlornly upon the dry barren ground, arranged haphazardly around the shrine, and an empty well, with its square opening gazing upward at the darkening sky, stood among the stones, marking the beginning of the stone path that led to the exit of the place.

The travellers could tell that this was once a magnificent place, with splendid grandeur of a past already forgotten. But now, all that remained was an abandoned broken ruin.

But not for Ryu. To him, it was a familiar place, with memories of the past still firmly attached to his mind.

Despite the definite gloom that hung in the air.

Feelings of nostalgia washed over him, and an old memory crept slowly into his mind.

 

* * *

 

 

“ _Ryu! Get back here AT ONCE!!” a young woman shouted, the tone of her voice drawing attention from the other villagers. Her white priestess robe dragged behind her as she walked briskly, her long azure hair dancing around the hem… yet the expression she wore on her face was less than amicable._

“ _Nyah nyah! You’re not gonna drag me back in there, Sara!” a short teenager cried and stuck out his tongue. A cheeky grin was etched onto his face, with messy, unkempt blue hair brushing against his shoulders, and his clothes were partly covered in dirt._

“ _Wait until I get you, you… ooooohh!! What did I do to deserve this?!” In a burst of anger, Sara disappeared away in a great flash of light… and in her place was a golden Dragon._

_His grin immediately disappeared. “Uh oh, I forgot about that… WARGH!!”_

_He turned and sped away as fast as his legs could carry him, but human legs were no match for a Dragon’s great wings. Within moments, he was laying face-down on the ground, with the young woman, back in her human form, sitting on his back._

“ _Yeow! Gerroff me, Sara!” Ryu cried, flailing his arms in his struggle._

“ _I’ve been VERY civil with you like how an actual priestess…” She crossed her arms in indignation. “But nooooo, you just had to push your luck like the annoying little bug of a brother!”_

“ _All right, all right! I’m sorry! I’ll finish my lessons like a good boy, okay? Now gerroff me!”_

_Nodding, she got to her feet and moments later, they were both standing and dusting the dirt off their clothes. However, now Sara had a triumphant look on her face, while Ryu sulked._

“ _Man, it’s not fair…” the young boy grumbled. “How come you get to turn into a Dragon, but I don’t?”_

_His older sister did not immediately reply; instead, a complete change took over her expression, her eyes dull with sadness._

_Noticing the change in her, he gazed at her in concern. “Sara…?”_

“ _Ryu, when will you learn?” She sighed. “You know of all the Light Dragons in this village, only both of us have the power turn into Dragons. The others have renounced it.”_

“ _I know that, but I still wanna–”_

_Her expression hardened. “Because of that, with this power comes a great responsibility. Are you ready to shoulder all that responsibility yet, Ryu?!”_

_He was taken aback by the sudden harsh tone in her voice. “I-I…”_

_She sighed again, looking sad once more. “Oh, Ryu, you silly boy...” Then, she abruptly embraced him._

_Ryu’s eyes widened in surprise. “S-Sara…?”_

“… _whatever happens, Ryu, uphold your responsibility as a proud member of the Light Dragon clan.” She smiled slightly. “And, most of all… protect those you love most…”_

_He returned the embrace, closing his eyes. “…I will, Sara. I promise you that.”_

 

 

* * *

“Ryu…?” Nina called him, concern showing on her face.

“H-huh?” The Dragon blinked. “Oh… sorry. I was recalling an old memory…”

“A memory?” Momo asked. “Of what?”

Ryu stared off into the blue sky, a distant look in his eyes. “During my first life, I lived here in this village with my older sister, Sara… though back then, there were so many of us Dragons that we were divided into clans. I was in the Light Dragon clan.” He closed his eyes. “This village… Dragnier used to be a secluded village near the sea, with lots of grass and trees…” 

Nina placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Ryu…”

Shaking his head, he smiled a little. “Don’t worry about me.”

The Guardian, who had been silent until now, abruptly spoke, “…you say this was a Dragon village?”

“A village full of Dragons…” Rei rubbed the back of his head. “Man, it’s a scary thought.”

Ryu nodded. “I’m not sure if there’s anyone here now… but there’s only one way to find out.”

With that, he began stepping down the staircase, and the others followed suit.

It was a strange feeling; entering a village that had changed so much to the point it was like a different place, yet familiar enough for him to instinctively know which direction led where. In his mind, all his memories of visiting Dragnier appeared once more, and the changes that the village had gone through over the centuries were apparent in his mind.

…but he had never seen it this bleak… this gloomy before.

At the bottom of the staircase was a more populated area of the village, filled with a small number of people who had made tents, formed by draping large cloth over two partially broken walls, their home.

But what was surprising was the fact that there were only the elderly here – some wielding walking sticks and some so hunched that their heads were level with their shoulders. They all had dull silver hair that no longer shone, and they moved in a manner that showed no enthusiasm, as though life was dreary.

Ryu could only stare, stunned.

What happened to the lively community? What happened to all the children, the adolescents, the adults that still had years to live?

What… happened to the dignified Dragons?

Ryu steeled his heart and stepped forward, determined to find out what had happened to his brethrens.

At the sound of his footsteps, the elderly villagers looked up slowly. However, as soon as they had set their eyes on Ryu and his azure hair, they all froze in their tracks, their formerly dull eyes wide open with shock.

“I… I don’t believe it…” one old woman muttered.

An old man shook his head. “That blue hair, it must be him…! It has to be…!!”

As they all muttered and whispered among themselves, they gathered around the travellers, with a look of awe and wonder upon their faces. Ryu felt like an animal on display, but nonetheless he stood silently, patiently waiting – if his arrival piqued their interest, they would most certainly call their leader.

After some time, the crowd parted to let an old man through. It was an old man not unlike the others; he was almost completely bald except for a few strands of hair, and there was a white moustache on his face.

The moment he set his eyes on Ryu, his eyes widened, first with shock, then with excitement. “What’s this…?!” He turned towards his fellow villagers. “Everyone! We must celebrate!”

Abruptly, the crowd broke out into a cheer and they all shuffled away, in an excited manner that was different from their slow, unenthusiastic movements earlier.

“Huh? What?” was Rei’s reaction.

Momo shrugged, puzzled as well.

And Garr stood tall, his arms crossed, his expression harsh.

Once everyone had disappeared, the remaining old man (who had earlier cried they should celebrate) approached Ryu and gave a respectful bow.

“Welcome back, Lord Ryu,” he said in respect. “We have long awaited your return.”

Ryu returned the bow, apparently unsurprised. “I’m glad to return, Master…?”

“Griol, Lord Ryu. I am the patriarch of this village.” He shook his head. “But please, I am unworthy of the title…”

He shook his head, ignoring the last statement. “Master Griol, since you’re the head here, maybe you can explain.” He glanced around the village. “What happened here in the last four hundred years?”

Griol shook his head slowly. “Do not worry, do not worry, we will have time to talk later. You must be exhausted from your journey.” He gestured towards a particular tent. “Now, if you would come with me, I will show you and your companions your rooms. Please, this way.”

 

* * *

“…okay, tell us what’s going on,” the half-tiger demanded later in their room, crossing his arms.

“Yes, please explain, Ryu.” Nina shook her head. “We’re all confused…”

Peco nodded. “Pyu…”

“Well, actually…” Ryu started, rubbing the back of his head. “I don’t know what’s going on any more than you are. But it doesn’t surprise me because there’s always been someone waiting for me to return to lead the warriors against Myria again… except there are no warriors this time.”

“Are you going to be fighting the Goddess on your own…?” Nina asked.

He nodded. “Most likely…”

His expression rather grim, Garr did not answer.

 

* * *

The crowd shushed as the group entered banquet area, which was held in the biggest tent in the village. The tent was bare except for a large straw mat on the floor and a few cupboards here and there, and on the mat were dishes and dishes of food enough to feed an army – the residents of this village had certainly outdone themselves.

Once the six of them had taken their seats and settled down, Griol cleared his throat.

“Please, be at ease,” he started. “These are the food prepared by the people of this village, Lord Ryu. We hope that they will be to your liking.”

Ryu felt embarrassed at all the show of respect. “T-thanks, Master Griol, though you didn’t have to go through all the trouble…”

“Nonsense!” an old woman cried. “We loved doing it for you, my lord!”

“You may ask for anything at all, Lord Ryu!” another man added. “Anything at all!”

“…well, in that case…” Ryu hesitated. “…please tell me what happened in the past four hundred years. I’m afraid I haven’t been up with the times…”

“Ah, yes…” Griol stroked his moustache, seeming thoughtful. “We were once like you, Lord Ryu… we once had the power bestowed upon our clan. But…” He shook his head sadly with a sigh. “We gave up our powers and fled here during the Great War…” Upon seeing Garr’s tensed demeanour, he spoke, “So do not be alarmed, Guardian.”

Garr’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke. “…you came here so that we Guardians would be able to find you not.” It was not an enquiry, but more of a statement.

One woman gave a sudden cackle. “Hee hee hee! Exactly! All preparation for this moment!”

“This moment…?” Nina asked confusedly.

“You will know soon enough…” Griol stated. “But for now, please rest and be at ease, my lord, and noble companions…”

“Please try the meat,” another old woman said hospitably. “It will restore the strength sapped by the desert’s heat.”

“Thank you,” Ryu said awkwardly.

“Well, in that case…” Rei grinned, his eyes shining as he gazed at the food. “Let’s dig in!”

He was the only enthusiastic one in the group, however. The others gazed at each other, not quite sure how to react.

 

* * *

“ _Nina?”_

_He strode along the paths through the bleak village of Dragnier, between the broken walls, searching for his companions._

“ _Rei? Momo?” He stopped. “Garr? Peco?”_

_The streets seemed strangely empty… strangely dark._

“ _Everyone…?”_

“ _We have been awaiting your coming, Lord Ryu, Prince of the Dragons…” a cracked voice suddenly spoke from behind him, startling him. “It has been foretold for many centuries.”_

“ _R-really?” Ryu asked, beginning to feel nervous._

“ _Yes, Lord Ryu…” another voice came from his right. “After our enemies defeated us, they tried to wipe us from the face of earth…”_

_A third voice, this time from his left, continued, “To survive, our people either had to give up their power like we have, or bury themselves deep, deep underground…”_

“ _Our brethrens who hid underground… many of them entered a deep sleep after conceiving a child. They slept, to await the time when one day, the Brood might walk the earth again.”_

“ _And now, that day has arrived!” yet another voice cried. “The Prince is soon to awaken!!”_

_All the voices cheered loudly, enthusiastically, as though they were at a competition rather than in a conversation with Ryu. There was a strange tone of excitement in their voices…_

_Of anticipation of a great happening._

_Then, they all quieted down as Griol cleared his throat._

“ _Lord Ryu, Destined One…” he began. “You have come here… to the forgotten city of the Brood, Dragnier. Call it destiny if you will. We can tell you where to find what it is that you are seeking… where to find your foe, the Goddess Myria.”_

“ _Lord Ryu…” all the voices called out to him, beckoningly. “Lord Ryu…”_

“ _No… I…” Ryu shook his head, trying to shut out the voices._

_For the first time in his life, he feared his own clan._

_Suddenly, heavy energy surrounded him, trying to overwhelm him._

“ _Lord Ryu, you must awaken to your true power!” another voice commanded. “And then, you must face the Goddess!!”_

“ _NO!!”_

 

* * *

“NO!!” Ryu cried, his eyes wide with fear, his heart racing.

“R-Ryu?” Nina, who sat beside him, said in surprised. “Are you okay? You look tense…”

“W-what…?” He gazed at her in confusion, and then he sat up quickly, looking around. They were still in the room where they had the banquet, though all the dishes had been cleared and everyone had gone out, except for Nina who had chosen to accompany him.

“You fell asleep after the banquet, Ryu,” the princess explained.

“Oh… okay…” He lowered his head, placing a hand over his eyes. His heart was still banging against his chest, his breathing rapid, and cold sweat slid down his face.

She watched him in concern. “Are you really okay…?”

“Yeah… yeah, I am.” He shook his head slowly. “It’s just a dream…” He took a few deep breaths and began to feel calmer. “Where’s everyone else, Nina?”

“Everyone? They’re outside somewhere, though I’m not sure where.”

“I see…” Feeling drained despite the short nap, he leaned back against the cupboard.

For a long time, before he regained his memories, he had always longed of a family, to be reunited with his brethren.

To belong to someone.

But now that he had returned to his hometown… it was not what he had expected.

A feeling of dread took over him, rather than the excitement of reunion.

A feeling of fear shot across his heart, rather than the satisfaction of accomplishing one of his goals.

His people were no longer the ones he had grown to know over the years – all that was left were the remnants of the glorious past, and people who would do anything to regain it.

And it scared him.

“Ryu…?” Nina called, her voice soft. “Is there something wrong…?”

Having snapped out of his thoughts, he jumped a little; he had forgotten for a moment that she was still there.

With him.

Suddenly, thoughts of him going up against the Goddess with her at his side intruded his mind. Visions of her dying, of him screaming, because he had failed to protect her.

No, he couldn’t let that happen.

“Nina… I…” He closed his eyes. “…this time it’s going to be different. There are no more warriors for me to lead against Myria, and I’ll be going alone…” He shook his head. “…there’s no guarantee that I can protect you… or that I won’t die…”

“Ryu…”

He closed his eyes, pain showing on his face. “This… is my destiny… I shouldn’t drag you into this… that’s why…”

“Oh, Ryu…” She embraced him. “When will you stop tormenting yourself…?”

He was startled. “Nina…?”

“You should remember that you’re not alone… I’m here for you. We’re all here for you.” She shook her head. “I did ask you before to share some of your pain with me, didn’t I?”

“But…”

“It’s hard knowing that you’re intensifying your pain to keep me safe but far away… so that’s why…” She smiled. “I may not be as strong as you, but I want to help. I want you to be happy, and not in pain.”

Indecision flickered in his eyes. “Nina… I…”

She ran a hand down his cheek. “If our roles were reversed, wouldn’t you want to do the same?”

“…yeah, I would…” Slowly putting his arm around her, he rested his head on her shoulder.

Tears clouded her eyes; her heart felt so happy. “Oh, Ryu…”

He was so tired… his shoulder felt heavy from the burden he carried.

But, Nina was here with him. His companions were here with him.

He could relax. He had nothing to worry about.

He smiled. “…I’m glad you’re here, Nina…”

 

* * *

Rei whistled. “The Brood are pretty amazing… who would’ve thought they’re still alive, living in a forsaken place like this?”

Momo nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty hard to believe…”

Both of them were on a particular high wall, watching the evening sky. In the distance, Peco seemed rather lost and unsure being in this gloomy village, unlike his usual cheerful self, and Honey, on his head, patted him in reassurance.

“Garr must feel pretty bad now…” the engineer commented.

“Yeah… I mean, being in a place, surrounded by people who used to be his enemies…” Rei sat up straight, his sharp eyes gazing into the distance. “He’s over there, looking depressed… let’s go try to cheer him up.”

She nodded without a word.

Both of them stood up and, with Rei carrying Momo, leaped down from the rooftop. It was a short distance between them and where Garr was standing, gazing into the sky. Even with his calm expression, there was a hint of gloom on his face.

“Hey, buddy,” the golden-haired man greeted.

The Guardian did not even react. He seemed rather lost in his thoughts.

“Garr?” Momo called.

He turned slowly, glancing at them, before setting his eyes back on the sky. “…even if they have forgotten the war… I… I still remain the sworn enemy of every person in this village… they are suspicious of my presence, of the reason why Ryu brought me here with him…”

No one said anything for a while.

Tensed, Garr clenched his fists. “…I came because I have lost my faith and have come to doubt my own actions of so long ago… but…” He shook his head slowly. “I know it is a good enough reason not for them to trust me, for the war has ended not in the hearts and minds of these people…”

Rei rubbed the back of his head. “Well, maybe so… but what’re you getting all gloomy about?” He shrugged. “Okay, so maybe the people here want Ryu to take his power and go teach your Goddess a thing or two, and maybe it’s not so realistic to think we can drop in on the Goddess and ask about the truth. But still… you’re the one who told us to tag along if we wanted answers to our questions.”

A glint of realisation shone in the Guardian’s eyes.

He crossed his arms. “You know what? You just plain think too much, you know?”

He relaxed a little. “…perhaps.”

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter what the villagers here think.” He grinned. “What’s important is what Ryu thinks, right?”

“Did someone mention my name?” Ryu asked, approaching them with Nina at his side.

“Yeah, well.” The half-tiger shrugged. “I was trying to cheer this fella up.”

Garr nodded, not looking quite as depressed now. “For that, I thank you, Rei.”

“Hey, no prob!”

At that moment, Griol approached them.

“Lord Ryu…” he started, bowing slightly. “The Elder wishes to meet with you.”

“The Elder?” the princess echoed.

He nodded. “He is the eldest of us all… of all the Brood, only he remembers the Great War.”

“I see.” Ryu straightened. “Where do I meet him?”

He gestured down a particular street. “This way, Lord Ryu… you may come as well, noble companions.”

 

* * *

The Elder’s residence was, unexpectedly, inside the well in the middle of the village. Climbing down the ladder, Ryu noted that there were only a few small puddles of water lying around the surface of the soil at the bottom, and there was another ladder that led to a platform. Upon stepping on the platform and climbing a short staircase, they found themselves in a long hallway, brightly lit by torches.

One side of the hall was decorated with a long mural. On the left side, allied warriors of many races faced towards the right with their weapons drawn. On the right side of the mural, a gigantic serpent roared, the eyes on its seven heads gleaming maliciously. Behind it was a glowing girl, her golden hair shining, a pair of white wings spread as clear as eyes could see.

But the part that caught their attention most was a young man, dressed in half-armour and clothes with a red cape that billowed around him. He stood confidently, facing the serpent and backed by his allies, with his shining sword raised into the air. What surprised his companions most was that this renowned warrior had shoulder length blue hair; just like Ryu’s.

“This warrior…” the princess said thoughtfully. “He looks just like you, Ryu.”

“Hey, look here,” Rei called from the other end of the mural, his voice filled with interest. “There’s a winged girl here with blond hair. Looks like you, Nina!”

“What does this mean?” Momo wondered.

“This is my first time seeing this mural, but…” The azure-haired man gazed intently at the mural, recognition gleaming in his blue eyes. “…I recognise it.”

“Have you seen a similar painting before?” Garr questioned.

He shook his head. “No… it’s not that… this is of my first life. The first time Myria broke free from her seal.” He glanced at all the warriors on the mural, and smiled slightly. “And I still remember my companion’s names then; Bo, Karn, Gobi, Ox and Mogu… even Lady Deis joined.” His smile grew fonder. “And of course, Nina.”

The winged girl blushed, but did not reply.

After that, however, Ryu’s gaze hardened. “…this serpent… it’s actually not a real serpent.” He pointed at it. “You see, it has seven heads… it represents the seven people who worked together to release Myria’s seal, and one of them was…” He trailed off, his eyes distant.

No one answered.

“…Lord Ryu,” Griol called. “We should head inside.”

“Oh, right.” The young man shook his head. “Sorry.”

Beyond the long hallway was a large hall, much wider than the hallway they were in. The room was rather bare, with only stone designs of a Dragon and bright torches on the wall and a raised stone platform on one end, where an old man sat.

This old man was bald and rather thin, the ribs showing on his chest. The garments that he wore were more bizarre compared to those of the other villages; he merely wore a green cloth around his waist and a green cap on his head. Golden bangles jingled from his wrists and ankles, and the large golden earrings reflected the torches’ light. 

Upon setting his eyes on the old man, however, Ryu’s eyes widened.

“M-Master Jono?!” he exclaimed.

The elderly man abruptly gave a huge guffaw. “Aha, so the Prince has returned! How have you been, you little rascal?!”

“I’m good. What about you, Master Jono?”

He scowled. “Peh! Don’t call me  _Master_ Jono! You never change even after all those years!”

He flinched as though he had been hit. “S-sorry!”

The others blinked, not quite knowing how to react to this strange exchange of greetings between the two.

Seemingly satisfied from the apology, the old man looked around at the group. “So, these are your companions this time, eh?”

Ryu nodded. “Yes.” Gesturing at them one-by-one, he introduced them. “This is Nina, and these are Rei, Momo, Garr, and Peco.”

On the engineer’s shoulder, Honey waved madly.

“Ah, sorry, this is Honey.”

“Hm…” Jono nodded thoughtfully. “I see.”

Getting up from the stone platform, the Elder waved Griol out, who bowed and hastily left the hall. Jono approached the six of them, his eyes settling on the Dragon’s companions. Even as old as he was, he still stood straight, like an experienced, confident warrior.

He spread his arms. “Welcome, all of you. I’m the Elder of Dragnier, Jono. During the Great War, I was Lord Ryu’s right hand general.” He grinned. “Don’t let my looks fool you – I’m a nice guy.”

“Uh… right,” was Rei’s reply, and the rest looked as doubtful as he sounded.

“No doubt Lord Ryu told you, but…” Jono gestured towards the hall outside the room. “Did you all see the mural as you came in? That is the history of our people’s struggle.” Turning around, he paced across the room as he spoke. “Our people’s history stretches back to the distance past, even before the Great War… the history of a struggle against a great, recurring evil.”

Ryu’s expression was unreadable.

“With each age, a warrior appears among the Brood… with his allies, he carries on the struggle.” His gaze fell onto Ryu. “Against the evil that is named Myria.”

Garr appeared tense.

“Myria, the Goddess of the Urkans… Of course, the Urkans never refer to their Goddess or their enemy, the Brood, by name.” Jono shook his head and sat back down on the stone platform. “Speaking of the Urkans… I want to talk to your friend, the Guardian.”

Everyone’s eyes stopped on Garr, who promptly advanced, his heavy footsteps audible.

Jono gazed at him, though without hatred. “Guardian, I have to hand it to you Urkans… and to Myria. When you decided to get rid of the Brood, you didn’t hold back at all, did you?”

He did not reply.

“But you must realise one truth…” Raising a hand slowly, he continued, “As long as you refuse to speak your Goddess’ name, or the name of your enemy, no one will ever know what became of us, or why.”

“Oh, Honorable Elder One,” he blurted out, quite unlike his usual composed character. “Do you hate us…?”

“Hate?” He chuckled. “There are maybe some among us who do… but I do not, Guardian. One cannot allow himself to be blinded by hatred, or spill blood for a petty reason.” Despite what he said, sadness appeared on his deeply wrinkled face. “What happened between the Urkan and the Brood… was fate.”

“Fate, Honorable Elder One?” Upon hearing that one word, it was as though a valve was unleashed within him, for he suddenly spoke loudly, demandingly. “What do you mean, Honorable Elder One?! Please, tell me!!”

And Jono’s demeanour changed as well, to that of a thoroughly annoyed old man. “Stop calling me Elder One!! You’re every bit as old as I am!!”

Shocked by this sudden outburst, Garr stepped back quickly, back among his companions.

The old man crossed his arms indignantly. “I’ve had enough of talking to you! From now on, the only thing I want to see is a pretty girl, understand?! I made up my mind; I’m only going to talk to the women!!”

An awkward silence hung in the air, with everyone staring at him disbelievingly. Ryu slapped his forehead in exasperation; apparently Jono had not changed at all in four hundred years.

Rei then had an idea. With a cheeky grin, he crept behind Momo and gave her a strong push.

“Ow! Hey!!” she exclaimed. As soon as she regained her balance, however, she found that she was right in front of Jono, who immediately protested.

“No no no no!!” he cried, waving his hand madly. “I said pretty girls! I want the young plump ones!!”

“Well, excuuuuse me!” She scowled, crossing her arms. “What an old crank! What do you mean, I’m not good enough?!”

The half-tiger burst out laughing, holding his stomach, but he was immediately shut up after Momo whipped out her chrysm-powered cannon and aimed it at him.

As for the rest of them, all eyes fell onto Nina. Since the old man had rejected Momo, the only female left in the group was her.

Gulping a little, she stepped forward, her white plumes trailing behind her.

Upon looking at her, a satisfied grin formed on Jono’s face. “Ah! Much better!” Leaning slightly forward, he spoke, “Now listen up, little lady… I’m going to tell you the story behind the first war between the Brood and the Goddess Myria.”

The princess nodded. “I’m listening, Grandpa.”

“Good girl. Now, listen closely…” He cleared his throat. “The Brood and Myria have always fought. Down through the ages, and all across the world… no doubt it was she who descended from the heavens first for world domination and we the Brood followed after against her reign…” He shook his head sadly. “But even we are not the perfect role model.”

“What do you mean, Grandpa?”

“Some time after the first war was ignited, the Goddess granted wishes. Good wishes, selfish wishes, she granted them all… and thus the people of the world began calling her the Goddess of Desire. They fought each other over the wishes, all for their own selfish reasons, and the Goddess encouraged the fighting.”

Surprised, she shook her head. “But wasn’t she called the Goddess of Destruction? Why would they want to fight over someone who destroyed some of their cities?”

“Yes… but it’s not that simple, child.” He shook his head. “People are easily blinded… even we, the ones who have come to oppose her, could not resist it. The Dark Dragon clan, finding our purpose meaningless, chose to take the Goddess’ side in the war.” 

“I… see…”

“The war over the wishes has long ended… but the strife between the clans has not. Though we have all merged and renounced the division of clans, there are still some who shunned those who are rumoured to be descended from the Dark Dragons.” He sighed sadly. “Though the danger to the world might be us Brood… our power is such that we could destroy the world. Myria feared that strength… and decided to destroy us…” 

She nodded once more, remembering what Ryu had told her. “It must be difficult, fighting a war and yet holding back your power…”

“Yes… if we had done so, we might have indeed destroyed the world…” He paused for a while. “…I want to tell you something important, so I want you to come up here, next to me… will you do that?”

She obeyed hesitantly, standing at his side. “…like this?”

“That’s it… now, kneel down…”

She knelt down, wondering what was up.

“…and give me a kiss.”

“What?!!” she exclaimed, jumping back. Flustered, she turned towards her companions. “Ryu, what should I do?!”

“Um… uh…” Ryu shrugged uncertainly. “I don’t know… do what you feel like doing?”

“Right… okay…” She hesitated as she approached the Elder again, kneeling beside him, and, after a brief pause, gave him a very light peck on his cheek.

“Ho ho ho ho ho!” Jono abruptly burst out laughing, making her jump back again. “I got my kiss, so now I’ve no regrets!” He let out another long guffaw and it took him quite some time to settle down, but once he did, he cleared his throat. “Now… it’s time to do what I must. Lord Ryu.”

Ryu nodded, stepping forward. “Yes, Master Jono.”

“When you died unexpectedly four centuries ago…” He sighed sadly. “We thought we were done for.”

Sorrowfully, Ryu bowed his head. “I’m sorry…”  _Though I still can’t remember how I died then…_

“It’s never your fault, Lord Ryu, it is fate. Nonetheless…” He shook his head. “After your untimely departure, your position was bestowed upon me, and I led the warriors against Myria. However, I did not fare well…”

He gripped his fist tightly, a feeling of remorse tearing at his heart. “I… see…”

“It was by Lord Ladon’s order, conveyed through Lady Deis, that we gave up our power and returned to our homeland, here, now a lonely barren place… to hide that power from the prying eyes of the Goddess… to fool Myria into thinking that she had succeeded in eradicating the Brood.”

“…all this… for me to return…?”

“Yes, Lord Ryu…” Shaking his head slowly, Jono stood up once more. “I don’t know if our ruse worked, but we have guarded the essence of the Brood all these years… the power that you have left behind all these years ago.” He placed a wrinkled hand on his chest. “…here, in me.”

“The power that you left behind…?” The princess looked puzzled. “What does it mean?”

“Each time I die, I lose most of my power,” Ryu answered patiently. “So I can’t unleash my full strength completely.”

“Whaaaaaaat?!” Momo cried. “You mean to say that you can get even more powerful than you are now?!”

Garr shook his head. “…such is the power of the Brood… truly unfathomable…”

Jono spread his arms. “The Brood… we… have waited for this day. It’s time for me to meet my end… and you, your fate…” He stepped forward, his eyes on Ryu. “Lord Ryu… are you prepared?”

Ryu nodded. “I’m ready.” Looking over his shoulder, he told the others, “Please, everyone, leave this room. It’ll be dangerous here.”

“What? Why?” Rei demanded.

“Because he’ll be fighting me,” the old man stated. “There are special wards in this room, to guard against discovery by the Goddess… so he’ll be unable to transform.”

The Guardian nodded. “We understand. We will wait outside.”

“Ryu…” Nina seemed a little worried. “Be careful, okay?”

“Good luck!” Momo said.

“Pui!” Peco cried.

Rei grinned. “Do your best, buddy.”

At his friends’ support, Ryu smiled. “Thanks, guys.”

As agreed, the others left the room for the surface, though Nina paused to give him a reassuring smile. As soon as the door was shut, leaving both of them alone, Jono stepped down from the platform.

“I’m sure you already know the process, Lord Ryu,” he said, a grim expression on his face.

The Dragon Prince nodded. “A battle to the death, the victor gets the power.” He closed his eyes. “My human strength… against your Dragon form.”

“Good, you still remember. Now, let’s begin!”

A strong burst of light filled the room, obscuring all sight. Ryu winced and drew back, shielding his eyes from the bright light, as a loud roar shook the walls.

The moment the light dimmed, the Elder was gone, and in his place was a great Dragon, a form so big that it filled up a quarter of the hall. His head was bigger than that of the Force Dragon, his blood red fangs showing from his lips, his red horns curling upwards from his head. Red spikes trailed down his serpentine neck all the way to the tip of his tail, his limbs were muscular, filled with strength that had not faded with his age, and his large body was made for strength rather than speed. His bat-like wings, joined at the elbow of his front legs, had a beautiful, transparent purple colour.

The Dragon inside Ryu stirred, aching to be released, but he couldn’t tap into the power – he could feel the magical ward sealing it.

_I guess this is how the others feel when I transform…_ he thought wryly, as he drew his trusty long sword.

Jono took a deep breath and roared, signalling the start of battle.

The young man narrowed his eyes as he charged, his speed greater than that of an average human. His hands gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, he gave a cry as he swung his weapon in a horizontal slash, aiming for the chest. The blade merely created a shallow cut – the scales were like wards against his blade.

The Dragon growled, and a swift wave of orange-hot flames came from his open jaws, engulfing his target completely as it spread left and right like a curtain caught by a strong gale. Ryu gritted his teeth as he was forcefully thrown back against the stone wall, though the flames barely burnt him.

Jono ceased and gazed at him, as though mocking him.

Ryu chuckled as he straightened back into a battle stance, his sword in front of him. “You never intended to go easy on me from the start, did you, Master Jono?” He suddenly lunged forward once more. “It’s fine, that’s how I prefer it!!”

The Elder roared again, and sent another wave of flame breath, both clashing in the centre.

 

* * *

 

Nina was frantic. Even though the other five of them had to stay outside on the surface to wait for Ryu to return, it did not ease her worries at all.

For the sounds of the great battle could be heard clearly.

The great roar of a Dragon, with the intent to kill.

The sounds of a clashing sword against scales.

Even if they could not watch, they knew it was a terrifying battle, with power that was completely beyond their level.

A battle that lasted longer than their endurance would allow.

As time passed, Nina grew frantic. There were times she wanted to run to Jono’s residence and stop the battle, to save Ryu from being hurt, but she restrained herself, telling herself that it was part of his duty.

But by the third sunset, she was worried out of her mind.

“I… I’m going down!!” she declared, standing up.

To her surprise, the others followed suit.

“Me too!” Momo cried.

“Pukyu!” Peco joined in.

“It’s gone long enough!” Rei snarled.

Garr nodded. “Let us go.”

At first they walked, climbing down the ladder that led into Jono’s residence, but by the time they reached the hallway with the mural, they broke into a run, pulled by a strong feeling of panic.

As soon as they burst into the room, they were just in time to see a bright light engulfing the room, forcing them to shield their eyes. When the light dimmed enough for them to see, they found that Jono was back in his human form, breathing hard, with bloody wounds all over his skinny body.

And the princess gasped as soon as she set her eyes on Ryu.

The Dragon Prince was kneeling on the floor, one shaky hand gripping the hilt of his sword for support. His skin were red from being burnt, his blood dripping from where his clothes were torn with sharp claws, and he was panting heavily for breath.

“Ryu?!” Nina exclaimed.

Ryu turned sharply. “N-Nina?”

The Elder chuckled. “Worried, aren’t you? We’ve just finished a long battle.” He then collapsed backwards into a sitting position.

“M-Master Jono!” he shouted, and mustered all of his strength to move to the old man’s side.

“Very good, Lord Ryu…” He nodded his approval. “You haven’t lost your touch at all.”

He shook his head. “I hope I didn’t hurt you too much…”

He gave a sudden guffaw. “Dammit, Lord Ryu! How’re you going to fight with that kind of attitude?” He shook his head. “But that’s a good quality of yours…”

“Master Jono…”

“Listen to me now, Lord Ryu…” Jono raised a shaky hand, placing them into Ryu’s. “This is the power that can shake the very foundation of the world, your true power, the power which the Goddess rightly fears… it’s in your hands now… yours, and your friends’…”

“Us…?” Rei muttered.

“Always, you have fought with your allies… your friends… to defeat the Goddess… but…” He placed the other hand on Ryu’s shoulder. “You needn’t follow that path anymore, if you so choose… the power is yours, after all… do with it what you will…”

The body of the Elder, now much frailer looking compared to his Dragon form, began glowing.

The young man’s eyes widened. “M-Master Jono?!”

“You’ve made this old man happy by giving a chance to see you again…” He gave a serene smile. “Farewell, Lord Ryu… blood of my blood!”

Without warning, another bright light filled the room as his body vanished, blinding everyone in sight.

Ryu gasped as he felt a burst of energy from within him, burning him like an internal fire forcing its way out. He screamed loudly, his voice turning into a great roar, as his body transformed.

His companions stared at him in awe.

An elegant Dragon, a graceful Dragon. His serpentine neck and tail arched like a snake, his horns glowed like a golden crimson jewel. His muscular body shone its own brilliant golden light, his legs made for speed on land and his wings for air. His wings, a golden limb tipped with a great golden crimson claw, attached to a pair of feathered wings made entirely of shining light.

And his blue eyes shone.

The Kaiser Dragon. The most magnificent of all Dragons.

The symbol of hope, to the end of the war.

Shining brightly, he threw his head upward and gave a mighty roar, shaking the very walls of the room. A roar that conveyed the very power of the Brood, the very power that could destroy the world.

The very power that the Goddess feared.

Then, his mind finally realised the exhaustion that his body felt.

All too suddenly, his glowing body reverted to his human form, and, to his companions’ horror, collapsed limply onto the stone floor.

“RYU!!” Nina screamed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who’ve played BoF (the first in the series), you’ll most likely realise who Sara is! I’ve read somewhere that the actual Dragon village for BoF1, 2 and 3 are called Dragnier in the Japanese versions, and that it got translated into Drogen in BoF and Dologany in BoF2. Anyway, in this particular chapter, I decided to stick with the name Dragnier when Ryu mentioned the village.
> 
> For those who didn’t play BoF or BoF2, well, don’t worry. That little scene with Sara is just a self-inserted cameo (no scene like this in the actual game!). And I doubt the Drogen-Dologany-Dragnier thing is that much of a spoiler… right?
> 
> Also, I’ve changed the whole history lesson with Jono thing, because Deis already explained it to the group some chapters back. Originally I left it to be similar to the game script, then I remembered someone mentioned my history lesson contradicts the opening of BoF1 on the GBA (or SNES too, I don’t really remember). It’s better this way, since Nina looks rather like an airhead in-game the way she asks questions when Jono gives her a history lesson.
> 
> Still, it still look like the beginning of BoF1 and my history lesson is contradicting, so here’s a slight explanation. The first part of the beginning of BoF1 goes like this:
> 
> “When the Dragon Family was at the peak of its power, a goddess of desire appeared. The goddess, Tyr, granted wishes. The Dragons fought each other for her power. Tyr encouraged the fighting and watched the war between the Dragons escalate.”
> 
> We know Tyr is Myria.
> 
> It could be that, when Myria was happily blasting the cities prior to the war, she could have taken on her more sinister, demonic form or at least a form different from her usual angelic look, so the people could have thought the Goddess of Destruction and the Goddess of Desire were two different people. That would explain the “goddess of desire appeared” part, and the “Dragon Family was at the peak of its power” part too, since according to Jono, Myria only started granting wishes after the war started.
> 
> So… hopefully that explains it. o_o


	29. Twenty-Six: Onward… to Death

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Onward… to Death**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

After a full day’s rest, Ryu recovered enough to walk around, albeit a little shakily, and that was what he did. He felt he couldn’t stay indoors for long, as thoughts of Jono’s death and the Brood’s fate filled his mind. The responsibility weighed on his shoulder, and his heart felt equally heavy.

Jono’s death hit him very hard.

The man who was like his father, the man who had supported him throughout the Great War five hundred years ago… was dead.

Dead by his hand.

Why? Of all people to take his life… why him?

The energy that continuously surged in his veins, like a spreading snake, like an ongoing spellcasting, served as a constant reminder of Jono’s death, and he could do nothing to curb it. His full power had been unleashed, with nothing left to chain and cage it, and his body wasn’t used to it.

…the power that Jono had safely guarded for him for four centuries, awaiting his return.

Despair filled his heart.

So many sacrifices had been made… his Protectors, doomed to an eternity of confinement in chrysm crystals if it weren’t for him stumbling upon them. The spirits of the Brood, living in constant pain and anger, burning in revenge, unable to move on to the next world beyond death. Deis, caught and imprisoned by Gaist’s seal after the fall of the Dragons. Gaist, who had decided to defy the Goddess and help them, died in the process. The people of Dragnier, forced to abandon their power and live like outcasts, in order for Jono to guard the power inside him.

All because of the war. All because he had lost four hundred years ago.

Atop the long staircase to the portal’s shrine, the sky was an endless blue that spread further than eyes could see. It brought a sense of calmness to his heart, even if only for a while. From there, he strode past the door that led to the portal and instead climbed the stairs that extended from the side of the shrine. Above the portal’s room was a terrace overlooking Dragnier and a set of stone walls that suggested it was encompassing a smaller room… except there was no door or window on it.

Only a blank rectangular panel was on the wall facing the terrace, carved in such a way that it looked as though there should be a picture on it.

Ryu closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in preparation, and opened his eyes once more.

He touched the panel gingerly.

A ripple formed on the panel, resonating along the wall, and a picture slowly materialised into view. It was the carving of a serpentine Dragon, its elegant body curled around a tear-shaped jewel that shone all colours of the rainbow.

The Dragon Tear… it was something he had not seen for a while.

Suddenly, a burst of light came from the panel, blinding him, surprising him. He covered his eyes with one arm and quickly stepped back, but it was too late – a great force pulled him forward towards the panel, and no amount of struggling would set him free.

He braced himself for the impact of hitting the stone wall, but instead, all he felt was a warm gust of wind and the feeling as though he was floating. When his feet touched solid ground and his eyes readjusted, he found himself in a dark abyss with nothing in sight.

Knowing he would turn up in this place, he sighed. “You really like surprising me, don’t you?”

“Heh,” the familiar male voice chuckled. “It never fails every time.”

From the darkness, a figure stepped forward. It was a man, with a white coat that stood out greatly against the darkness of the abyss, his long golden hair that seemed to shine its own light, his golden eyes that gleamed with wisdom yet with childlike mischievousness.

His face, painted with a good-humoured grin, had an uncanny resemblance to Ryu’s.

It was the man who had guided him through his many lifetimes, who he had seen only as a silhouette since his journey began in Cedar Woods years ago.

Lord Ladon.

Ryu’s gaze fell on the white coat his master was wearing, and he blinked in surprise. “Hey, that coat…”

“Nice coat, isn’t it?” Ladon grinned. “Of course you think so; that’s why you chose to wear this during the Great War… the coat that earned you the title _Ryu of the Light_.”

He sighed again, shaking his head. “Every time I see you, you never cease to amaze me.”

“And you never change despite reincarnating so many times.” His pose relaxed, one hand on his waist. “So, what brings you here? Do you miss me that much?”

Ryu hesitated for a moment, struggling with the feelings in his heart, before he finally spoke, “…please tell me, Lord Ladon… what… exactly happened four hundred years ago? How did I die?” He lowered his head, his eyes dulled with pain. “Master Jono… everyone… they sacrificed so much because I lost…”

“…well.” His humour was gone. All that was left was a seriousness that rivalled Ryu’s. “I’m still not telling you that. You’ll have to remember it yourself.”

“Why?” He looked up, facing his master. “Why do you keep the truth from me?”

“Because you had no trouble remembering everything else. Think about it.” Ladon gestured to his head. “A man who suffered a blow to his head – not you, of course, just an example – may end up with a case of amnesia. He may regain all his memories in the end, but when he has something that he strongly wants to forget… well, he probably won’t get it back, at least not easily.”

He shook his head. “I don’t get what you’re trying to get across.”

He waved a hand in the air. “Patience, patience. Now, each time you’re reborn, your head suffers the same mental blow, just without the pain.” He prodded Ryu’s forehead with a finger. “So that missing piece of memory could be something that you don’t want to remember.”

“Something I don’t want to… remember?”

Ladon shrugged. “I’m not telling you anything, but all I can tell you is this; you’ll have to stop running away from it, because you have to face it sooner or later.” His expression hardened. “Especially since this could be very well our last battle with Myria.”

Quiet sadness filled his face. “But how do I stop running away if I don’t remember what it is…?”

“You will, one day, don’t worry about it.” The good-natured smile was back on his face. “I have faith in your capabilities, and what happened four hundred years ago wasn’t your fault. I agree with Jono, too.”

He looked up, puzzled. “What…?”

“When he said the power that you have is yours… and your friends’. It’s been a long war with the Goddess, Ryu, but it’s still your power in the end.” He placed a hand on Ryu’s shoulder. “You have the choice to do what you want with it, whether to fight or to forget it all and live normally.”

He shook his head. “But you gave me this power… it’s yours.”

The Dragon God laughed heartily. “What, you haven’t figured it out yet? When I gave you this power, I also gave you the freedom to choose what to do, whether you want it or think it’s right. That’s why you have a consciousness, not just an expressionless puppet for me to manipulate.” He grinned. “Hey, I’m a nice guy, you know, even being a God and all.”

Ryu chuckled, feeling a little better. “Thanks, Lord Ladon, I’ll keep that in mind.”

He nodded. “I’ll see you then, Ryu. Rest as much as you need to, there’s no hurry.”

“I will. Goodbye.”

A soft glow surrounded the Dragon Prince as he closed his eyes, and then, in a blink on an eye, he vanished just as suddenly as he had appeared.

With that, the smile faded from Ladon’s face and his eyes shut tightly, as though his endurance was being tested during the conversation… and, without warning, a soft groan escaped his lips as he fell weakly to his knees, with one hand on the ground for support.

Then, he laughed quietly at himself.

“Man… only four hundred years without my power and I’m already this weak… Deis will definitely slam ‘I told you so’ in my face…”

Not bothering to rise to his feet, he slowly leaned back and lay on the invisible floor, closing his eyes to rest.

“This may very well be the end of the Brood…” He smiled slightly, resignedly. “No regrets though… after all, it’s his choice…”

 

* * *

 

“Are you… sure, Ryu?” Nina shook her head, concerned. “You only rested for two days after that long battle…”

Ryu nodded. “I’m fine, Nina, really. I can’t just sit around here and do nothing, and I can’t make you guys wait for me. Besides…” He focused his gaze onto the sky. “People are counting on me. I can’t let them down.”

She hesitated, indecision evident on her face, but then nodded. “…I understand, but promise me that you’ll tell us if you don’t feel well.”

He smiled. “Yeah, I will, don’t worry.”

“You don’t have to worry about anything, buddy.” The half-tiger suddenly gave a high yell, simultaneously drawing out his dual daggers. “Rei here will wipe anything in our path!!”

“Yeah, right,” Momo said, her voice thick with sarcasm. “You’ll wipe out all the food, all right.”

“H-hey!!”

Both Ryu and Nina laughed.

Smiling slightly, the Guardian nodded. “We have decided to follow you to the end of this journey, Ryu, regardless of the hurdles we may face.”

Ryu nodded gratefully. “Thanks, Garr… thanks for coming with me so far, everyone.”

“Pukyu!” Peco cried, bouncing.

From the entrance of the tent, Griol cleared his throat loudly. “Are you ready to depart, Lord Ryu?”

The Dragon Prince stepped forward. “Yes, Master Griol. We’re all ready.”

“Very well then, I will tell you where you can find the Goddess. You must leave here and travel far to the north… to the Desert of Death.” He gestured outside. “Horis will tell you more, as well as guide you to the desert.”

“Thanks, Master Griol,” Ryu said. “Thanks for everything.”

He nodded. “We have all waited for this day, Lord Ryu… for the day our saviour would come and avenge us!”

Ryu did not reply, feeling a chill down his spine as he recalled the eerie dream he had when he arrived here in Dragnier.

“Good luck, Lord Ryu.” The patriarch bowed. “We have placed our trust in you.”

Outside, Horis was waiting at the village gates. He was an old man, like many of the residents of Dragnier, but he was bigger and stronger than them, bigger than even Ryu, and he still stood straight despite his age. He wore a green poncho over a brown shirt, complete with blue pants and shoes, and his bald head was covered with a green cap.

“You’re ready to leave then, Lord Ryu?” he asked, his face serious.

The Dragon Prince nodded. “Yes, we’re ready.”

“All right. I’ll guide you as far as the desert.” He gestured to a creature next to him.

It was the strangest creature they had ever seen. It had the snout of a pig, long floppy ears like a dog and stood on four legs, its short tail swishing behind it. It was covered in brown fur, except that the hump on its back and part of its legs were covered in green fur, and its split hooves were similar to that of a cow’s. It was carrying two large bags of supplies, ready to depart.

“Moof!” it cried.

Ryu vaguely remembered seeing more of these creatures around the village.

“Oh, look, a rakda,” Nina stated, beaming; evidently she had been around petting them. “It’s a cute thing. Are we bringing it with us?”

“Yes,” Horis answered. “Rakdas are useful for travelling in the desert. They’re strong and sturdy, and they’ll carry anything we need.” He walked through the village entrance. “Let’s go, we’ll want to reach the desert as soon as possible.”

 

* * *

 

The terrain outside Dragnier was exactly the same as the one outside Kombinat – rocky, dry and lifeless. Endless mountains circled around the Dragon village like a cage, hiding the horizon from view.

To the far north, half a day’s journey away, was an abandoned factory built into a cave that cut through the mountain, and its interior alternated between metal hallways and long caverns. It was a place filled with functioning machinery, with lasers running across the ground in many areas to prevent intruders from getting past.

After they dragged a very reluctant Momo out of the factory, the scenery that greeted them outside was spectacular.

All they could see was golden sand, stretching as far as eyes could see. The hot afternoon sun shone down mercilessly on them, burning all that were unfortunate enough to be in its rays, and the wind blew ominously. It was like a great white abyss, waiting to swallow them whole the moment they set foot in it.

All Ryu could do was to stare.

“Anyone can come this far,” Horis stated, holding the rakda’s reins. “Here comes the hard part, the Desert of Death itself. A land of ever-changing sands… where nothing lives, and from which no one returns…”

Nina shrugged. “That’s what everyone said about crossing the ocean.”

The half-tiger rubbed the back of his head. “I get the feeling that the Goddess wants to be left alone.”

Horis shook his head. “I don’t know anything about that… but I do know the Goddess lives beyond the desert.”

Ryu nodded, determined. “We must cross the desert.”

“That’s right. I’ll tell you how to survive long enough to get there, but that will have to wait until tonight. First, let’s set up camp…”

Once the tent was up, they rested inside the tent, staying well out the sun’s way and waited for dusk to arrive before they would begin their journey. Since travelling during the day would only waste energy, they would only move at night, but, agitated, none of them could sleep very well.

Rei grumbled as he sharpened his knives. “Now we have to cross the desert? Why do I get the feeling this Goddess doesn’t want to meet us?”

“An impassable ocean, a death filled desert…” Garr shook his head. “What manner of world do we live on?”

“I wonder if this is what happened to the advanced Techno Age civilisation…” Momo said, a book open on her lap. “…if they were swallowed up by the desert and disappeared…”

Ryu remained silent.

“Pukyun…” Peco murmured, seemingly lethargic from the heat.

Nina patted the onion’s head. “Poor Peco…”

Once dusk had fallen, they prepared to break camp, with Horis gazing at the sky every so often. Once they were done, he spoke.

“I’ll tell you how to get to cross the desert. Do you see that star?” He pointed to a red star in the sky, which was already shining brightly even though the sun had not completely sunken yet. “That’s the North Star, it always appears in the north and never moves.”

Ryu nodded. “The bright red star is the North Star… got it.”

“Just follow the North Star to the north. After about five nights or so, you should be able to see the oasis. But, should you feel like you’re lost, just use the rakda to return; it will bring you here without fail.”

“Thanks for everything, Horis,” the princess said, smiling.

“You’re welcome. This is as far as I can take you… I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you any further.” His voice was regretful. “Good luck, be careful.”

And so, they began their long, arduous journey across the Desert of Death.

 

* * *

 

Walking in the desert was much harder than Ryu had imagined. Every step he took would result in his feet sinking into the sand, and this caused him to be disadvantageous against the monsters of the desert, for it decreased his mobility greatly. Even mountain climbing was easier than this.

This was one time he greatly appreciated his Dragon form, but in order to not hurt his companions’ feelings, he walked alongside them rather than flying above them.

The first night was rather uneventful. Everyone was in high enough spirits, hopeful that they would reach the oasis soon, oblivious to the hurdles that the desert would throw in their path. They walked for twelve hours, occasionally stopping to rest and to thwart off monsters that pounced upon them, and once the sun started showing signs of rising, they worked together to pitch the tent and sat inside to rest for the day. In a corner of the tent, Peco slept peacefully.

“Whew, it’s really hot during the day!” Momo complained.

“Despite that, we will have to conserve water,” the Guardian cautioned. “Our journey would be long.”

“But man, everywhere you see is sand!” The half-tiger shook his head. “How are we supposed to know which direction to go to?!”

“It’s good as long as we can see the stars at night!” Nina told him. “Remember what Horis said? That bright red star points to the north!”

Ryu, however, did not join in their conversation; instead, he merely closed his eyes and rested.

He was tired. It was apparent that he hadn’t rested enough after the long battle with Jono… he had certainly overestimated his capabilities and underestimated the desert. But, he told himself it would only be a five-day journey, or perhaps six. As long as he lasted that long, he would be able to rest at the oasis, and continue his search for the Goddess.

He had to be strong. For the Dragons.

 

* * *

 

“Whew!” Nina shook her head, wiping her sweaty brow as the group stopped for the second day. “No wonder they call it Desert of Death! It’s pretty hot, isn’t it?”

“Much hotter than yesterday!” the engineer cried, evidently dissatisfied. “I wonder just how big this desert is.”

“Perhaps bigger than we could imagine,” was Garr’s rueful reply.

All they could hear from their onion companion was a slight snore.

“But it makes me wonder what those monsters here in the desert eat… I mean, there’s nothing in the desert.” Rei shrugged. “Probably people like us, out for a walk in the desert, eh?”

Ryu laughed quietly. “You make it sound like a walk in the park.”

But, despite the light-heartedness, he could tell that the ruthless desert had sapped their enthusiasm a little.

 

* * *

 

The third night was, unfortunately, rather noisy. It seemed the harsh journey through the desert had rendered everyone’s temper rather short, especially Momo and Rei’s. They were occasionally arguing over small details, such as Rei getting in the way when Momo fired her cannon (“What if you got hit?!” she had cried, followed by his retort, “Hey, don’t look down on my speed!”).

It made everyone else wearier.

“Is the Goddess testing us…?” Garr muttered.

Once they stopped for the day, they found both Momo and Rei sitting on opposite ends of the tent, their backs facing each other in indignation.

To make sure everyone was fine, Ryu stepped in and asked them individually, “Are you okay?”

“I’m all right,” the princess replied, then she smiled cheerfully. “I think we’re going to make it, Ryu!”

“Me? I’m fine!” Momo said in a huff. “You should be worried about what’s-his-name over there, the one wearing a fur coat!”

“I’m holding out okay,” the half-tiger answered, sharpening his daggers a little too forcefully. “But I think our little engineer might be having a rough time of it.”

“I am fine, Ryu,” Garr said, nodding. “But are you? You seem weary.”

“I’m okay,” the Dragon Prince lied, forcing a smile as he settled down between him and the already-sleeping Peco. “I’m just a little… tired of listening to their arguments.”

He nodded in agreement.

 

* * *

 

Ryu was worried.

Rei was energetic and Garr had high endurability as usual, but he saw that both Nina and Momo seemed more sluggish than the previous night. Peco easily grew tired, so he was placed on the rakda’s back for a part of the journey, and they walked in silence.

But he knew; the desert was slowly yet surely overwhelming them.

Dawn did not come soon enough. The moment they saw the sun rising, the tent was quickly pitched.

Momo sat down, panting slightly. “Whew… let me rest for a minute…”

Everyone followed suit.

Even Nina had lost her cheerfulness. “…are you sure we’re walking the right way…?” As soon as she had said that, she immediately looked regretful. “…sorry… we’re okay, I’m sure we’re okay!” There was a hint of desperation in her own voice, as if to ease her own feelings.

The winged man had great endurability, but even he was beginning to have doubts. “…is this the Goddess’ way of saying… we can meet a God not…?”

“Hey, no worries!” Rei cried. “Garr and I are fine! Leave the fighting to us!”

Ryu nodded. “And me too. We’ll make it through this. I promise.”

 

* * *

 

It was the fifth night, the night that they would complete their journey through the desert.

The thought seemed to have lifted everyone’s feelings a little, as there were more enthusiasm in their steps tonight. Battles were completed nearly as easily as those during their first night, and they covered more distance than they did the night before. Even Peco bounced enthusiastically beside them, despite the fact that he was tired.

As the night passed, the sky was beginning to grow brighter, signalling that the sun was already rising. Though it was brighter now, all they could see was still sand, stretching to the horizon.

There was nothing else in sight.

Despair filled the air.

“Are we there yet?” Rei asked.

The Guardian’s expression was grim. “Our journey should have only lasted five nights… there should be no more distance between us and the oasis.”

“Look, there’s a high mound of sand over there,” Momo observed, pointing to a small sandy hill. “I bet we can get our bearings better from that hill.”

The half-tiger, whose eyes were the sharpest among the four, nodded. “I’ll get right on it.”

He walked to the hill, stopped at the top with one hand shielding the sunlight from his eyes, and gazed around. However, from his disappointed expression, they knew the oasis was nowhere in sight.

“Man… nothing but sand, sand and sand,” he said. “Maybe we haven’t reached it ye– w-whoa!!”

The hill suddenly shook dangerously, with him flailing his arms to keep his balance as it rose higher from the ground. It grew bigger and bigger, the sand trickling down the sides… revealing a gigantic monster.

It was an extremely ugly monster. It was a ball of long white hair, three times bigger than Ryu, with a face that resembled a baboon with a big mouth and two muscular arms curled into fists at its side. Two large red horns, larger than even Garr, curled upwards from the sides of its mouth, accompanied by two smaller horns, and a hairy tail swished behind it.

Opening its mouth wide, it gave an angry roar.

And, from the top of its head, Rei cried, “Guys! A little help here?!”

Ryu drew out his sword, glancing quickly at his companions.

Nina already had her wand drawn, but she seemed even more tired than when he saw her earlier.

Momo was having trouble lifting her weapon to her shoulder.

Peco was unmoving, looking rather pitiful.

Among all of them, only him, Garr and Rei would be able to fight properly.

Raising his halberd in a battle stance, Garr’s expression was hard. “This does not bode well… we have to finish this quickly; once the sun has completely risen, the battle will be to our disadvantage.”

In other words, a battle against Time.

Cursing, the young man threw his sword aside, and, with a loud yell and a bright light, his body transformed to that of the Tiamat, the great serpentine Dragon of the Dark element.

He roared and charged forward quickly, his tail trailing behind him.

“Ryu?!” the princess exclaimed.

Rei’s eyes widened. “W-whoa! Wait! I’m still up here!!”

Ryu growled, but he didn’t stop, not even when the monster roared and lunged forward, both its hands raised to grab him. He swerved sharply upwards, a dark light shining from his throat, and unleashed a wave of darkness onto the creature, aiming carefully.

A dark mist surrounded the monster and it roared, turning around blindly.

In another burst of light, Ryu took on the form of the Trygon, his throat shining, and this time released an ice-blue wave, his Frost Breath, to encase the monster’s arms in ice.

It had worked. The monster’s sight was blinded, and its only weapons were rendered useless.

He roared at Rei, who nodded and leap down the monster’s head, using the frozen arms as steps.

“Thanks, Ry–” he started.

The monster roared again, interrupting him. Suddenly, the ice around its right arm shattered, followed by its left. Now furious, it began swinging its arms in frenzy, still blinded by the dark mist.

It was much stronger than they had initially thought.

Rei quickly fled, but he wasn’t fast enough.

Ryu snarled and lunged, another bright light signalling his transformation, and threw all of his Behemoth weight against the monster, which caught it off guard and sent it reeling backwards.

“Rei!!” Momo shouted. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine!” the half-tiger snapped. “Worry about Ryu first, he’s having a wrestling match with that thing!!”

All eyes turned onto the battle.

The monster, furious, charged towards where he had thought its opponent was, the dark mist around its eyes blinding its sight. But it had lunged in the wrong direction. Ryu merely sidestepped, even with his huge Behemoth form, and bashed into it again.

But it was stronger than he had thought… faster than he had thought.

It held its ground, hardly pushed back from Ryu’s second charge, and quick as lightning, its hands made a grab for him… and caught his horns. It lifted him up into the air with a grunt, struggling under the weight of the Behemoth, and, with a strength that rivalled his, threw as hard as it could.

Ryu, stunned by the sudden attack, had no time to react.

The Behemoth was a heavy creature, much heavier than the monster itself, and he landed on the ground with a heavy crash, sending pillars of sand into the air.

Groaning from the pain, weary from the night’s journey and burning from the sunlight that showered them mercilessly with its rays, Ryu reverted to his human form, half-lying on the sand, breathing heavily.

And, before he had a chance to recover, the creature was on him again, its hands ready to grab him.

His eyes widened.

The dark mist around its eyes was gone.

Caught off guard in his human form, Ryu had no chance of enduring if it were to grab him. His strength sapped by the heat, he had no chance to run.

But, he wasn’t alone.

Suddenly, without warning, Garr bashed his shoulder into the creature, strong enough to even throw it off its feet and into the sand some distance away.

Then, Nina’s high voice cut through the air, like a sword cutting through flesh.

“TAKE THIS!! BLIZZARD!!”

The monster roared when ice chunks crashed onto it, narrowly missing both Ryu and Garr.

“Incoming!!” Momo cried, her cannon firing.

While the others were distracting the creature, Rei quickly went to Ryu’s side. “Hey, buddy, you all right?”

Ryu took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah… thanks.”

“PuuuuuuuKYU!!” Peco unleashed an Ice Breath.

With Nina and Peco’s combined ice attacks, a great mountain of ice encased the monster.

Garr grunted as he lunged forward, his halberd gripped tightly, and, with a yell, brought it down with all of his strength.

A crack formed on the ice’s surface, spreading quickly like lightning fast snakes, and then it shattered into a million pieces.

The monster, suddenly freed, roared and fled from the scene in fear.

“…it seems our safety will last sometime longer,” the Guardian stated, turning towards the others.

“It’s over… just like that,” Momo said disbelievingly.

“Ah, well.” Rei shrugged. “It’s probably just a bully, picking on things smaller than itself.”

Ryu got to his feet and nodded. “Let’s set up camp – maybe tonight we’ll reach the oasis.”

“Yeah.” Momo grinned. “If we work together, we’ll get to the oasis!”

“Pui!” Peco cried.

Nina smiled wearily. “Yes, we’ll get… to the… oasis… soon…” Her voice trailed off.

Then, she collapsed onto the sand.

“Nina?!” Ryu exclaimed.

 

* * *

 

“…it appears she is suffering from heat stroke,” Garr stated, shaking his head.

“Who can blame her?” The red-haired woman sighed a little. “Having to fight that monster after walking for so many days…”

“Pyu…” Peco murmured sadly.

Nina was lying on the floor of the tent, barely conscious and her skin was flushed, hot to the touch. It pained Ryu to see her that way, as he knelt down next to her, and guilt tore at his heart…

It was because of him, because he had let himself be vulnerable, that she was forced to use that powerful ice spell.

“…I’m sorry… Ryu…” she muttered. “…we’re so close…”

He gripped her hand tightly. “Don’t… worry, Nina… you’ll be fine, we’ll get to the oasis…”

She smiled weakly and closed her eyes. Minutes later, she was asleep.

Silently, he turned away.

“We should move her not while she is in this condition…” The Guardian heaved a sigh. “What should we do, Ryu?”

Ryu didn’t know.

Unable to answer, unable to stay in there and watch Nina in her condition, he abruptly turned and exited the tent, stepping into the blazing sun.

Rei was waiting outside, his arms crossed.

“How bad is she, the princess?” he asked.

The young man shut his eyes tightly. “Not good…”

“I see…” He sighed. “Well, I suppose we could get the rakda to take us back and start over… I mean, we know the way by now, right?”

“We could… but we don’t know what will happen if we move her too much…”

“That’s true… not to mention we’re nearer to the oasis than the Dragon village.” He shook his head. “It isn’t her fault, maybe we’re just not supposed to make it…”

Ryu sighed. He felt extremely worried… he felt his heart would shed tears of blood.

And he felt worthless. He couldn’t do anything to ease her suffering.

What? What was it that he could do?

Rei gazed at him in concern and stood next to him. “You know, I just remembered something… listen to me.”

He looked up slowly.

“Back in Dragnier, an old woman told me something about rakda meat…” The half-tiger paused. “It has water and other nutrients that can resuscitate someone who has heat stroke.”

Ryu’s eyes widened.

If he could give Nina the rakda meat, he could save her!

…no, he couldn’t. The rakda was their only chance to return, in case they were lost… he couldn’t only think of himself, he had to think of his other companions too…

But he knew he couldn’t just do nothing while he watched Nina suffer.

He stopped.

“…that’s right… I promised I would protect her…”

He looked up suddenly, his expression hardened with his strong resolve, and strode over to the rakda, which was sniffing around a tall cactus.

“Moof!” it cried, when he approached.

He drew his sword, raised it above his head, and hesitated.

He had never even killed a rabbit for food… and now he would kill an animal to save a life?

“…no…”

He shut his eyes tightly, steeling his heart with determination.

“I… I have to protect her!!” he shouted, swinging his sword hard.

The high cry of the rakda rang loudly through the campsite, sending a wave of guilt through him. He stared as the blood oozed from its body, breathing rapidly.

_This… this is for Nina…_

“So you killed the rakda, huh?” Rei’s voice said from behind him. “We won’t be able to get back now…”

There was no accusation on his face, only awe and understanding.

Ryu said nothing.

“The little kid who had never killed an animal even for food…” Rei chuckled. “I’m impressed, Ryu, I didn’t think you had it in you.”

Ryu smiled slightly. “I didn’t think so too… but…” He turned his gaze away. “I’m sorry…”

“Nah, don’t worry, we’ll make it. We’re not gonna die in a place like this.” He grinned. “Not as long as you’re around, at least. Here, I’ll help you.” He pulled out a dagger. “You’ve never skinned an animal before, right?”

“Yeah… thanks.” He moved aside, so that Rei had space to work.

Rei’s hands moved deftly. It was clear that he had done this many times before.

“But you know…” he said as he worked. “When I watched you kill the rakda, for some reason I thought of that time we fought the Nue together… funny, huh?”

“I thought of it too…” Ryu shut his eyes. “Sometimes, in order to gain something, we have to sacrifice something else… I’ll never forget what Bunyan taught me.”

 

* * *

 

With the sacrifice of the rakda’s life, Nina’s was saved.

Knowing that they had no way of returning now, the group of six pushed valiantly onwards, thinking only of going forward.

Ryu insisted on carrying the princess on his back, rather than letting someone else do it. During the day, he would watch over her, while the others rested and slept.

He felt that it was his duty to protect her, and that it was his fault she had grown this weak… helping her with the rakda’s meat wasn’t enough.

_I’ll protect her…_

One night passed.

The Guardian began carrying the worn Peco in his arms, battling monsters with one hand gripping his halberd.

Two nights passed.

Momo fell to her knees in exhaustion. The half-tiger, his eyes narrowed in concern, offered to carry her.

And their water ran out.

Dawn arrived.

As sunrays illuminated the sky, obscuring all stars from sight, they could see something to the far north, sitting on the horizon.

Rei gave an excited yell. “LOOK! I SEE IT!!”

“I… I see it too!” Momo shouted, perking up immediately.

Grinning madly, he started running forward. “I’m going on ahead to ask them for help!”

“Hurry…” Ryu muttered, collapsing to his knees, his exhausted body weighted down with Nina’s.

“No… Ryu…” Nina’s voice spoke in his ear. “Put me down…”

“I… won’t…” He gritted his teeth. “Not when help for you is so near…”

He forced himself to stand, pushing forward to the oasis.

He barely mustered a few steps before he fell to his knees once more, this time with no strength to rise anymore.

His eyesight blurred, he fought the exhaustion.

He had to bring Nina there.

Then, he felt a hand, gently placed on his shoulder.

“Be calm, traveller, help is near,” an unfamiliar voice told him.

“Please…” he muttered. “…save… Nina…”

“I will, worry not.”

“…thank you…”

His heart freed of thoughts of getting help for Nina, suddenly the exhaustion overwhelmed him.

His mind went blank.

His body grew limp.

And everything around him became shrouded with darkness.

 


	30. Twenty-Seven: The Station in the Sky

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Station in the Sky**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

Nina stirred and opened her eyes slowly, wincing slightly as her sight adjusted to the sunlight. The first thing that came to mind was the soft surface of a bed and blanket, and the first thing that came to sight was a dusty grey ceiling. She was in a bedroom with worn grey walls, with many beds leaning against the wall besides hers.

She sat up slowly, pleasantly noting that all her dizziness and hot flushes had mostly gone off. Then, she slowly turned her eyes downwards.

A sleeping Ryu.

He was seated on the floor, his head resting on his arms on her bed. The only sound that came from him was his breathing.

She smiled to herself. He looked sweet.

When she heard footsteps, she turned towards the door and saw Momo entering, carrying a basin in her hands.

“Oh, Nina, you’re up!” the engineer cried, relieved.

She smiled. “Yes, I’m fine now… I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Don’t tell me that…” She stepped next to the bed, placing the basin – which was filled with water – on the bedside table and turned to the princess, grinning. “You should tell that to Ryu… he worried the most!”

She automatically gazed at the young man again. “Ryu did…?”

“You bet! When you fainted, he killed the rakda to give you its nutritious meat so that you’ll recover, then he insisted on carrying you and watching you when everyone slept!”

Her heart fell. “Wait… that means he didn’t sleep...?!”

“Yeah… he was stubborn.” The engineer sat on a chair. “He didn’t sleep the two days he was watching you, and he ended up fainting too!”

Nina shook her head in exasperation. “Goodness, Ryu… what am I going to do with you?”

She waved a hand. “But that means he cares a lot about you.”

She smiled fondly. “Yes… he does… but…” She sighed. “Even if it’s nice to have someone who cares about me, I’d rather he take care of himself too.”

Momo shrugged. “That’s just how he is.”

“Yeah.” She giggled. “So, when are we leaving this place?”

She shook her head. “Oh, I don’t know. Ryu said something about staying here until we’re all rested and ready to go. We’re all pretty much beaten up by the desert, after all.” Then her eyes lighted up. “But when we talked to the village chief, apparently there are some ruins called Caer Xhan to the north; that must be where the Goddess is!”

The princess’ eyes widened. “To the north?! How far is it?!”

“Just a two hours’ walk, you can see it from the hill, if you look hard enough!” She got up. “But I think you should rest some more, so I’ll go tell the others you’re awake!”

She nodded. “Thanks, Momo. And please tell them I’m sorry for worrying them…”

“Sure will!” With that, she left the room.

Feeling relaxed, Nina remained seated as still as she could, afraid of waking Ryu. She gazed at him for a while, smiling to herself, and her hand pushed the hair from his forehead affectionately.

It was at that moment when he stirred.

“…mmm…” Blinking his eyes from sleepiness, he slowly sat up, wondering at first where he was.

“Morning,” Nina greeted, smiling.

“Morning… huh?” Information rushed into his mind as he recalled the last few events that occurred. “W-wait, Nina?!”

She giggled. “Took you long enough to rea–”

He suddenly embraced her tightly, as though he wouldn’t let go.

Her eyes wide with surprise, her face flushed with embarrassment. “U-um, Ryu…?”

“I’m so glad, Nina…” came his voice, shaky with utmost relief. “I thought I might lose you…”

She placed her arms gently around him. “Don’t worry, Ryu, I’m feeling fine.”

For a few minutes, they stayed in that position for a while, until they heard a noise from the door.

“Ahem! Well, I guess we came at the wrong time…” Rei said, grinning.

Garr had a small smile on his face.

“Pui!” Peco cried with a bounce.

Laughing, Momo shooed them out like how a farmer would with chickens, and closed the door behind them.

“Carry on!” came the half-tiger’s shout from the outside. “Don’t mind us!”

But it was too late; the damage was done. Both Ryu and Nina quickly separated, their faces turning beet red.

The young man stood up abruptly. “I-I’m going outside for a while. Rest more, Nina.”

“Y-yes, I will.”

As soon as he received the reply, he left for the door. However, he forgot that the door was previously closed, and walked right into it with a loud bang.

“R-Ryu?!” Nina exclaimed.

“I-I’m fine!” he cried, standing up. “It doesn’t hurt at all!”

With that, he quickly opened the door and ran out.

Oh, it was truly an awkward moment.

 

* * *

 

At the oasis, stone houses shaped like boxes arranged around the lake. There was a patch of green all around the lake, allowing plants to grow, and there was ample water in the lake for the people.

Days passed as the group of six rested, enjoying the peaceful days that they knew wouldn’t last. In return of the kind villagers’ hospitality, they (together with a grumbling Rei) often helped with their simple day-to-day tasks – which often include a short session of catching fishes they reared in the lake, watering and harvesting vegetables that grew at the oasis and feeding the rakdas. Peco and Honey, however, were unfortunate enough to be chased by excitable village children during playtime, to the point they had to hide in order to escape them.

Nina, now, finally understood Peco and Honey’s need to hide in this village. Everywhere she went, as soon as she was well enough to walk, were chatty women who seemed to think she was married to Ryu.

Yes, married. Not just lovers.

Married.

The word sent a wave of heat to her face, turning her cheeks a bright blush of pink.

“Oh, gosh,” was all she could muster each time these women mentioned the word as she turned and escaped as quickly yet dignified as she could.

Ryu and her.

Married.

Oh, gosh.

Momo did not escape the notion as well, as the villagers had caught the sight of Rei helping her when they had arrived. But, fortunately – or unfortunately – she was often too focused on her study on the bits of machinery to even notice the rumours flying about.

The word married apparently did not exist in her head.

“Machine?” was what Momo said each time the word was mentioned, her eyes lighting up. “Yes, I love machines!”

Rei wondered if she had a brain.

If he were with her, though, the women would then shift their attention onto him.

“Married?” he echoed in puzzlement, swishing his tiger tail. “With that metalhead? You think I’m married to her?” When they nodded with a smile, blood would suddenly rush to his head as he yelled, “WHAT?!! Why would I want to be married to that brainless, clueless, idiotic airhead of a machine-obsessed fan?! NO WAY!!”

Ryu wasn’t any better… in fact, he seemed to be a personal favourite among the women, either because he had blue hair that stood out among the rest, or because he was undeniably good-looking in their opinion. Or perhaps because he was simply the shyest among the group.

Married.

He would be stunned each time he was reminded of the word.

As in, literally stunned, as though struck by lightning. With his face completely red.

“A commitment of life… it does make this old one lonely,” Garr chuckled when the group gathered at mealtimes.

Ryu, Nina and Rei would suddenly choke on their food. Momo would continue to read her book as though nothing happened.

Despite all the response they received, the women of the village would laugh to themselves and nod knowingly.

Ah, what fun gossiping brought.

 

* * *

 

Though sadly, the peaceful days soon came to an end. It was decided that they would spend one last night here before departing for Caer Xhan.

The night before they meet with their destiny… it brought a sense of apprehensiveness.

Would their journey end… just like that?

It felt hard to believe.

Atop the hill just outside the village, Ryu stood high, his coat billowing in the night wind, his cold eyes gazing towards the north.

Towards the abandoned ruins partially illuminated by the full moon.

A surge of emotions rushed through him. Feelings of sadness, of pity, of anger and hatred…

…of anticipation.

He wasn’t quite sure what he should be feeling. Should he worry about the adequacy of his strength against the Goddess? Should he feel relieved that their long journey would soon be over? Or should he rejoice at the thought of meeting a familiar face?

But one thing was for sure. It would all end soon.

Inside him, the Protectors stirred. Even they could sense it.

It would soon end.

The final battle between the Brood and the Goddess.

“Ryu?” the princess called from behind him, startling his train of thoughts, as she walked up the hill and stopped beside him. “Can’t sleep?”

“Yeah…” was his reply.

She followed his gaze to the north. “To think our long journey will soon end… it feels strange.” She turned towards him, beaming. “Everyone said it couldn’t be done, but we did it! We crossed the ocean, and we crossed the desert!”

“Yeah, it’s great.” He faced her, smiling. “Of course, I wouldn’t have gotten here with your help, or everyone else’s.”

“We couldn’t have gotten here without yours, too.” Stretching her wings, she turned towards him. “Have you finished sorting your memories?”

He nodded. “Mostly. They’re not jumbled up now, and I remember everything clearly.”

“Are all your journeys like this?”

“Yeah, something like this…” His eyes grew distant, focused onto the northern ruins. “I used to feel confident enough to not worry about winning the battle… only about keeping my comrades alive.” He closed his eyes. “Now… I’m not even sure I can do that.”

“Ryu…” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry too much about it, okay? After all, we’ve overcome the obstacles the Goddess put in front of us, we crossed the sea and the desert!”

A slight smile crept onto his face. “Yeah… you’re right.”

“But while we’re on the topic… can you tell me a little about my past lives?” She smiled sheepishly. “I’m curious.”

“You want me to tell you about your past live? Hm…” Suddenly cheerful, he laughed. “All I remember was a particular butterfly that refused to fly away…” He grinned. “Are you sure you want to know?”

She gave him a playful punch. “Oh, come on! I’m not a butterfly!”

He laughed. “Hey! I never said I was talking about you!”

Laughing as well, she gave him another playful punch. “Stop beating around the bush and tell me already!”

“Okay, okay!” With one last laugh, he took a deep breath to calm down. “I’m serious though, Nina; are you sure you want to know?” He shook his head. “You might regret it if you do…”

“What’s there to regret?” Nina shrugged. “What’s done is done, what I’m concerned with is now… but I’m still curious to know about my past life, or lives.” She looked up at the bright moon. “What kind of family did I have? What kind of friends did I have?” Her eyes turned distant. “…was my life any different from the one I have now?”

“Nina…” He stepped closer to her. “You really want to know, don’t you?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

“…okay. But do stop me if you don’t like it, okay?”

She faced him, a little confused. “Sure, but I don’t think I will…” She trailed off.

There was something on Ryu’s face that made her stop. He leaned closer to her, his blue eyes gleaming in the dark.

“Stop me if you don’t like it,” he murmured.

There was something about his voice that sent a pleasant shiver down her spine.

She shook her head slowly. “No… it’s okay.”

Hesitation flickered in his eyes.

Smiling at him, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Reassured now, he held her tightly, as though afraid to lose her.

She rested her head on his chest, a feeling of happiness washing over her.

Yet, uncertainty loomed from within her.

She knew the bond between them was more than just friendship; the hugs and kisses they had shared before were proof of it. But was it truly how he had felt? Had he done it because he felt obligated… or because he felt he owed her?

Was it all… just a fantasy her romantic heart had weaved?

Then, she remembered.

They had never declared their feelings openly.

She had been to afraid to, in fear of rejection.

Suddenly insecure, she pulled slightly away. “Ryu… I…”

Looking up at him, she stopped.

He was gazing at her.

A fond smile on his face. A gleam of quiet passion in his eyes.

A look that brought her insecurities to a calm. A look that poured deep feelings from her heart.

Her eyes locked onto his, she raised a hand to his cheek.

“Ryu…”

“Nina…” He lowered his head and whispered into her ear. “I love you… I always have, and always will.”

A burst of feelings exploded within her.

Contentment. Happiness.

Passion. Love.

Tears of happiness filling her eyes, her voice was momentarily caught in her throat.

He loved her. He truly loved her.

She loved him. She had to tell him.

But her voice was stuck in her throat.

All she could muster was an unintelligible sound.

As though understanding her predicament, he sealed her open mouth with a kiss.

It helped to calm her down.

And she finally found her voice.

She broke away and yelled as loud as she could, “Ryu, I love you! I love you!!”

Then, a response she had never expected.

Tears of joy. Sliding down his cheeks.

Embracing each other once more, they laughed in joy, their voices carried on the wind of the night.

They had found each other again, after so many years apart. They were still together, after so many lifetimes.

Suddenly, she understood.

Their love for each other had lasted through lifetimes. Transcended time and death.

That was the part of her past lives he was trying to tell her.

“There’s nothing to regret,” Nina stated. “Why did you say to stop you if I didn’t like it?”

He responded with a fiery kiss.

And she returned it.

A love that had transcended time and death.

Suddenly, a bright light surrounded them. It circled them like a whirlwind, a pillar of light cutting through the night sky, and then engulfed them like a thick mist.

Energy circulated inside them, surging through their veins like electricity, travelling back and forth between them through their touched skin.

Growing stronger with each cycle.

And slowly, their forms changed.

When the light dimmed, they were no longer there. In their places was a magnificent Dragon, as graceful as a swan, as white as purity.

Its long graceful neck curved, the golden crest on its head swayed lightly in the wind. It had the body of a swan, with sharp claws like that of an eagle, and feathered plumes intertwined with serpentine tails extending downwards behind it. Instead of wings as forelimbs it had another set of legs, front claws that were as sharp as the hind ones, with great white wings extending from the elbows.

With a great cry to the dark night sky, it extended its wings and soared to the air, enjoying the wind.

The power of a Dragon, manifested by their love for each other.

The Silver Phoenix.

And it danced around in the moonlight, the night wind in its wings.

A love that had transcended time and death.

 

* * *

 

“This place is incredible,” Rei commented. “I always thought that nothing could survive in a desert, but the people here seem to be doing well!”

The engineer nodded. “I guess with a little luck, you might even be able to live out here in the desert.”

Both of them were sitting atop the terrace atop a particular house, watching the full moon as it shone gently on the surface of the lake. With the desert framing the lake, it was like a flower striving to survive in the harsh desert.

It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Even Rei, who did not often enjoy sceneries, thought it was beautiful.

Beautifully melancholy.

It made him feel kind of gloomy himself. Like the time he was hunting for his friends’ killers in Dauna.

“It’s been a long journey,” he mused. “It felt like a long time since I first met you guys…”

“Yeah…” Momo nodded, her gaze focused on the scenery. “We’ve worked together, fought together, covered each other’s backs…”

He grinned. “Not to mention getting on each others’ nerves!”

“True!”

And they burst into laughter, remembering their constant arguments.

After she calmed down, Momo continued, “Still… even if we argued a lot, you’re not that bad a person.”

“I feel the same,” the half-tiger agreed. “You’re not actually that bad either, and your head actually helped us when we needed it.”

“So is your speed; each time we couldn’t get there in time, you’re always there. “

He chuckled. “I wonder if we’ll get our answer… why we have these powers…”

“…and why these machines exist.”

As they lapsed into silence, gazing at each other, a thick feeling emanated in the air. Rei wasn’t quite sure what that feeling was… one thing was for sure; it was something he had never felt before.

Whatever it was, he liked it.

Wait a minute… he liked it?

Suddenly, he remembered the words of the women villagers in the past few days. Heat rushed to his face as he inhaled sharply in surprise and turned away, rubbing the fur on his face.

Thank goodness for the golden fur on his face. She wouldn’t be able to see how red he had gotten.

_No… no! Never in my life!!_

But deep down, beneath his denial, there was a hint of acceptance.

As much as he hated to admit it.

“Rei?” Momo called, a puzzled expression on her face.

Damn clueless airhead. No, wait, forget that. For once, he was thankful she was dense.

He cleared his throat. “Um… well, we’re finally going to meet the Goddess and get our answers.” He turned towards her and half-grinned. “How sure are you that you won’t suddenly stop to look at machines and make our trip even longer when we get there?”

“Hey, take that back!” The engineer crossed her arms indignantly. “I don’t always hold up every else!”

Feeling better now, he laughed. “All right, all right! That was just a joke!” Grinning, he held up a clawed hand. “We’ll have to work hard together for this last leg of the journey, so how about a temporary truce?”

She laughed and nodded. “You bet!”

And they hit a high five.

 

* * *

 

Garr sat beneath a palm tree, his eyes focused on the reflection of the moon on the lake. His trusty halberd, once belonging to his comrade Gaist, lay across the sand beside him.

Though his surroundings were serene, his heart was not. As he gazed at the moon, he pondered upon his thoughts, yet he was filled with doubt.

“Caer Xhan… could it be where the Goddess once dwelt?” he muttered to himself. “But why would the Goddess want to distance herself so far across such a place of waste and death…?”

He leaned back, turning his eyes towards the full moon.

“Perhaps there is a message she wished to convey to us by making us see the desolation that wrecks upon this place… yet there is still life thriving in the desert.”

He sighed to himself.

“Gaist… would our battle be for naught? Would this journey be for naught?” He gripped the halberd tightly. “We are but going against our master…”

A soft gust of wind blew, circling around him, and the halberd grew warm in his hand. It was as though Gaist was responding.

“Pyu…” came a sudden mournful voice beside him.

He turned to his side, only to see Peco and Honey standing next to each other, looking up at him in concern. The robot doll shook her head, as though telling him not to think too much.

He gave a slight smile. “Worry not; my resolve still stands strong.” His expression grew hard. “I will bring Ryu to meet the Goddess, even at the cost of my life.”

“Sure you will…” Rei’s voice came from behind him. “But isn’t that kind of depressing?”

Garr faced his half-tiger companion, chuckling. “Perhaps you would cheer me up again?”

Rei grinned. “Do it yourself this time.”

Momo came up beside him. “Thinking about tomorrow, Garr?”

The Guardian nodded. “A battle that could be our last… whether or not we will succeed, I know not.”

Ryu and Nina arrived then, in time to hear his last sentence.

“We might not win this time, but…” The young man smiled. “We’ll still work together, right?”

“We’ve come this far together!” Nina cried, extending a hand forward. “We’re not going to back down now!”

“Yeah!!” Rei shouted, putting his hand on top of hers. “I’ll finally know why there’s so much power like the Dragons’ and mine!”

Momo grinned as she placed as hand on top of his. “To solve the mysteries of the Techno Age!”

Garr smiled, his hand on hers. “To learn why the Brood branded as evil beings.”

Ryu placed his hands on top of everyone else’s and glanced at every one of his comrades. “Together, we’ll cross over this last hurdle, just like how we crossed the ocean and the desert.”

“PUKYU!!” came Peco’s frustrated voice from the bottom; he was bouncing up and down, angry at being forgotten.

Honey nudged Momo’s foot, shaking her head sadly.

The others laughed at their two smaller companions, as Nina and Momo carried the onion and robot doll respectively.

Yes, their bonds had strengthened throughout their journey. A journey in search of the truth, the answer to their questions…

And together, they would survive the last battle.

 

* * *

 

Across the endless sea of sand, what was once a grand city was now mere ruins, abandoned and helpless in the glaring heat of the sun. What was once a bustling, crowded place was now silent, eerie place, where even the wind did not approach. Cracks cut across the ground like snakes, the terrain rendered uneven.

When the six of them entered the ruined city, they felt as though they had entered a dream. All the buildings, not unlike those in Kombinat, were made of metal, with shining windows that reflected light back into the sky. On the ground, strange road of black stone branched out to many parts of the city, with white lines that divided it into lanes. By the road, strange metal poles that curved inward stood high at regular intervals, and the travellers all wondered what they were for until they came across a particular pole with its end flickering endlessly like a flame about to be put out… perhaps they were artificial lights that would illuminate the road at night.

“…what kind of place is this…?” Rei muttered in awe.

“…it’s so technologically advanced…” Momo said disbelievingly.

No words could describe their awe and wonder.

They stepped cautiously along the crack-covered roads, their eyes taking in the sight of the ruin. A little further, they parted to explore the area individually, to look for clues on the Goddess’ whereabouts.

The moment Nina stepped into a particular building, however, she quickly ran out and shouted excitedly to the others, “Guys! Over here! Look at this!!”

Wondering what was up, the others rushed to the building’s entrance where she was waving from.

Inside, leaning against a green crystal-decorated counter on the cracked, debris-filled floor, was a small robot doll.

Momo gasped.

“…it looks just like…” A pause. “…Honey…”

Honey appeared uncomfortable.

Nina shook her head. “Does it mean she came from here?”

Before they had a chance to ponder further, a loud metallic voice rang across Caer Xhan. Startling them.

“Attention: the lift for Myria Station is now at Platform One. Departing in ten minutes.”

“Myria, Myria, Myria…” The half-tiger kicked a piece of rock. “I’m getting tired of hearing that name.”

The young man’s eyes grew cold. “At least now we know she’s here…”

Garr looked grim.

“Well, we won’t find out anything standing around here!” Momo declared. “C’mon, let’s look for this Platform One! We only have ten minutes!”

Honey nodded and jumped out of her mistress’ pocket. From there, she moved quickly to the north and into the large building at the end of the road.

The others knew by now that whenever she did that, she would lead them somewhere. Instead of chasing after her to grab her, they followed her inside the building into a large, spacious room with many gates at the top of a wide staircase, separated cleanly by glass walls.

Past the gates, they emerged on an open terrace at the top of the building on a raised area, next to which was a thin metal platform attached to a large machinery sitting quietly on a set of tracks. As they followed the tracks with their eyes, they found themselves gazing steadily upward.

The tracks stretched beyond the clouds.

It seemed their destination would be above.

“This is… the lift?” Rei asked, as they stepped onto the platform.

“I hope so,” the princess replied.

Once the ten minutes of waiting was up, there were loud beeps as metal fences slid out from the sides of the platform, and the metallic voice spoke again.

“Attention: the lift for Myria Station is now leaving Platform One.”

Then, without as much as a single jerk, the lift started travelling across the tracks. Slowly and slowly it approached the bend that would then them upward, then slowly and slowly they rose gradually high and higher into the sky.

To a place that shared the name of the Goddess.

Myria Station.

High in the sky, the winds roared around them, circling around them like hungry dogs but unable to touch them. They grew louder the higher they go, even when they entered the mist-like clouds, then suddenly softer as they burst out of the clouds.

As though subdued by the sight of Myria Station.

It was certainly an impressive building. From the lift, they could see that it was spherical in shape, like a hovering ball made of metal, and the lift track stretched all the way to a gap in the centre. Metal platforms extended from various areas of the sphere, interrupting its smooth sides, and robots hovered from place to place, working busily for their master.

The group could already see Momo’s eyes light up with excitement.

Rei slapped his forehead in exasperation.

Nina giggled.

Garr crossed his arms, focused on the building.

Ryu said nothing. As he stared at the clouds where the tracks disappeared from sight, he felt he didn’t want to touch anything Myria created… yet he was filed with wonder for his old adversary.

… _you’ve certainly outdone yourself while I was gone, Myria…_

And the spirit of the Pygmy, still a child, trembled inside him.

Soon, the lift entered the spherical building through the gap, greeted by hovering robots that seemed to be attracted to the sound of the lift, and slowed to a stop next to a raised metal platform. The tracks continued on, stretching out of sight around metal walls.

“Last stop: Orbital Station Myria, Arrival Platform,” the metallic voice announced.

As they stepped off the lift, a door stood on the opposite end of the arrival platform, as though beckoning them to enter.

And enter they did.

Unlike the duller, dust-filled interior of the buildings of Caer Xhan, the large hall inside was spectacular. Everywhere they see was silvery metal, stretching across the ceiling and along the wall, and the floor was tiled with green and gold tiles that formed two separate paths to lead the way. The wall was decorated by coloured crystals at regular intervals, which glowed as though filled with energy.

Like chrysm crystals.

As they stepped into the hall, gazing around them in wonder, a large panel at the centre of the room caught their attention. Standing right in between the two coloured paths, its wide screen flickered with a cold blue light. By its side, a line of little robot dolls just like Honey stood immobilised, looking very much like goods displayed in a store. Curious to see what this meant, Momo played with the panel.

After a series of beeps, a metallic voice came from the sides of the panel.

“Navigators are guides to the Myria Orbital Station.” The picture of the little robot doll appeared on the blue screen, with descriptive words and arrows pointing to various areas of its body. “They contain numerous safety features as well as keys, called navigator codes. Scanning begin.”

Suddenly, a line of red light flashed across them, blinding them for a moment.

“PukyukyuKYU!!” Peco protested, bouncing up and down.

Undaunted by the bouncing onion, the voice continued, “Scanning completed. Navigator already assigned to current party. Program terminated.”

And the screen became black.

This left the group confused.

“…so… what you mean to say is…” Rei rubbed his head uncertainly. “Honey’s really from here?”

The Guardian crossed his arms. “Apparently so.”

“So that’s why she could use the portal!” the princess cried. “She helped us a lot!”

“Pui pui!” Peco agreed.

Honey rubbed the back of her head, as though embarrassed.

Ryu smiled. “She’s definitely one heck of a navigator… she guided us all the way here.”

“You bet!” Momo said, grinning. “C’mon, Honey! Take us to Myria’s place!”

The robot doll understood. She quickly ran along the green-tiled path, to a metal door, and paused. As the others followed behind her, the small panel by the door glowed, a red light flashing across Honey, and the usual metallic voice filled the air.

“Verifying code… navigator code accepted.”

And the door slid open.

“Way to go!” the engineer cried.

Beyond the metal door, the green-tiled path continued onwards, through numerous passageways that twisted here and there like a gigantic snake. As they advanced, however, they began to see parts of an overgrown plant along the silvery metal wall, like the beginning of a jungle that grew in a building. At the end of the hallway, there was a door that was covered with a bizarre wriggling vine-like plant – which reminded them of worms – that struck anything that came close enough.

“Is the way through this door?” Nina asked.

Honey nodded.

“Stand back,” Ryu said, unsheathing his sword. “I’ll cut it down.”

With all of his might, he swung his weapon thrice, slicing the vines with the blade. But, even with his skill, the vines were so overgrown that his sword barely did any damage.

Garr did the same. Same result.

“Wait, let me try!” Momo volunteered, raising her cannon to her shoulder.

The others stepped back in a hurry as she switched her usual chrysm pellets with another. She took a moment to adjust her cannon, muttering phrases such as “Pressure okay, density okay,” but a few moments later, she grinned as she hoisted her weapon onto her shoulder.

“Incoming!!” she shouted as the cannon fired.

With a great burst of flames, the shot hit the plant squarely in the cluster of vines and, to everyone’s surprise, completely incinerated them in a blink of an eye.

None of the wriggling vines remained.

She grinned triumphantly. “Well! Shall we go?”

The others made up their minds there and then never to double-cross her.

Through the door, the decorations of the hallway they passed became more and more sinister. Gleaming brown walls stretched as far as eyes could see, and crystals with a deep purple light stared at them as they passed. They were thankful when they finally arrived at the metallic elevator at the end of the passageway.

After Momo pressed a few buttons on the panel next to it, a voice announced, “Destination: Eden.”

“Eden?” Nina echoed, puzzled. “Not the same Eden as the garden of paradise in stories?”

No one knew.

The lift descended smoothly, floating easily downward without making them lose their balance, but the distance was so far that it took a minute or two before it finally slowed to a stop, allowing them to step off.

Then, they froze. Struck with admiration and wonder.

Greenery. Everywhere they could see. Trees and grass growing in abundance. Clouds swirled in the sky, a river cut through the ground. Birds sang sweetly, rabbits bounded across the ground and squirrels across the branches… it was as though they had returned to their homeland, a green peaceful place rather than the desolated desert of the Lost Shore.

They blinked, wondering if they were dreaming.

“Woooow!” Momo breathed.

“What the heck?!” Rei exclaimed. “It looks like we’re outside, but it’s just another room!”

Nina shook her head. “We’re surrounded by a desert, but everything’s green in here… wow…”

“I can believe my eyes not,” Garr admitted.

The young man smiled sheepishly. “Me neither.”

Stepping away from the lift, they crossed the grassy ground. They walked carefully, speculating if this was a trap intended to fool them, and crossed a stone bridge over the flowing river. As soon as they stepped off the bridge, however, they startled a bird that was resting on the ground. Chirping in fright, its tail feathers waving behind it, it took to the air in the opposite direction, towards a figure in the distance.

It was a man about the same size as Ryu, dress in a purple and orange garment with design they had never seen before, though young or old they did not know, for his back was facing them. The birds settled around him and on his shoulders, knowing he was someone they could trust.

But it was his hair that caught Ryu’s attention.

Gleaming violet hair, long and straight.

And old memories came to Ryu’s mind.

_Is it… really…?_

He shook his head.

_No… it can’t be._

He stepped forward slowly, preparing to meet with possibly one of Myria’s followers.

When he approached, followed by the other five, the birds took off in a great panic, spreading in all directions. One of them flew high, higher and higher into the sky with everyone’s eyes on it… until it crashed into an invisible wall with a loud thud.

It fell downward, stunned.

“They can’t tell they’re inside a room,” the violet-haired man said, without turning. “When they try to fly, they only end up hurting themselves.”

The group remained silent, not quite knowing what to reply.

“I suppose I should’ve known you’d come here eventually, Ryu… you did promise me, after all.” He turned around to face them, revealing the face of a young man.

Ryu and Rei froze. Their eyes grew wide open with shock.

A familiar smug smile.

A familiar pair of crimson eyes.

“Y-you’re…” was all Rei could say, his voice trembling.

Ryu shook his head disbelievingly, taking slow, shaky steps towards the other young man.

It was a long time before he could muster his name in a whisper.

“T-Teepo...”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After writing that… uh, hopefully not-too-cheesy love scene up there, I suddenly realised… what the heck? Ryu’s like a… like a ladies’ man! You know, the type that charms women easily? Zomg, what have I done?! What monster have I created?!! T_T
> 
> But anyway, hopefully that Hybrid Dragon is good enough. Not all Hybrid Dragons have to be done in a battle, right? But it just made me realised that I haven’t done Peco’s hybrid form… I’ll probably skip it. Think about it, if you have a companion who is a walking, bouncing onion who can only say “Pui!” and “Pukyu!” and sleeps all day long, would you want to fuse with him? I don’t think so… besides, it’ll give Ryu an insight to Peco’s mind, which is rather a spoiler to a secret that’s supposed to be revealed in the last chapter. x_x
> 
> And, as you’ve noticed, I’ve skipped the part on getting the card key and battling the Chimaera. One has to think, who the heck’s idiotic enough to leave a card key in a (scary) monster’s sleeping chamber? So hopefully you don’t mind that removed part. o_o


	31. Twenty-Eight: Conflict of Beliefs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, just a warning… this chapter is 1.5x the length of other chapters… I went overboard with my editing, but hopefully it’s better now. o_o

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Conflict of Beliefs**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

It was a peaceful paradise, with greenery all over, with birds and squirrels playing among the branches, with rabbits bounding across the grassy ground, with deer grazing serenely around. Yet, as the group faced the young man they met, the peacefulness failed to mask the stunned silence that hung in the air.

Stunned, by the appearance of an old friend.

Teepo.

Here in Myria Station.

“This…” Nina shook her head slowly. “This is Teepo…?”

“Ryu’s been searching for him all over…” Momo gazed at the violet-haired man. “And he’s been here all along…”

And they continued to stare at him.

Teepo grinned. “What? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Teepo… I don’t believe it…” The half-tiger approached him warily, disbelievingly. “I… I thought you…”

He laughed. “It’ll take a lot more than that to kill me; looks like it’s the same to you two.” He glanced first at Rei, then at Ryu. “But it’s really great to know all three of us are still alive after all these years.”

“Yeah.” Ryu smiled. “It’s great to see you again, Teepo. But…” He shook his head. “What are you doing here, Teepo? What are you doing here in Myria’s–”

A piece of memory flashed through Ryu’s mind.

Pain.

“U-ugh…” He raised a hand to his temple, gritting his teeth.

“Ryu?!” the princess cried.

Why? Why now? Hadn’t he recovered all of his memories? Hadn’t he sorted them all yet?

…no… there was still one piece of memory missing.

The end of the Dragon War.

How he had failed to win the war.

Teepo gazed at him, his expression grim. “…I thought you remembered everything, if you came here to Myria Station.” He stepped closer. “I guess you don’t remember what happened four hundred years ago… what caused the fall of the Brood… the fall of the Dragon Prince.”

Garr looked at him in suspicion. “Why do you know of the War? Unless you, too, are of the…”

He chuckled lightly, though there was no humour in his voice. “Does it really matter? What’s important now is to help Ryu remember…” He raised a glowing hand to Ryu’s head. “It’s important everyone knows.”

Before anyone could protest, a bright light came from Teepo’s hand, obscuring everything from sight.

Then, an old memory from the past filled their minds.

 

* * *

 

_The crescent moon shone pensively in the clear dark sky, illuminating the way forward on the forest path. Crickets filled the atmosphere with their music, the diurnal creatures barely stirring in their peaceful sleep, and a warm breeze weaved through the leaves, softly rustling them._

_It was a warm, peaceful night… but, for a particular young man, that warmth could not be felt inside._

_He strode along the forest path, his boots occasionally snapping dried twigs and leaves with an audible sound. His silver half-breastplate, worn over white clothes, and his long sword, its sheath resting on his left thigh, gleamed in the light of the moon. His white coat and his shoulder-length azure hair danced playfully in the wind._

_His cerulean eyes, focused on the path before him, were dull with sadness._

_Though a man walking alone at night was often a vulnerable target o the nocturnal monsters roaming the night, yet they did not try to even approach him. His very being emitted a strong quiet power invisible to most people, yet very apparent to these monsters._

_He had no intention to even touch the hilt of his weapon, however. In fact, he disliked the very purpose of his existence._

_To fight._

_To rage war with a certain goddess, to seal her every single time she returned._

_How long must this continue…?_

“ _Ah, I knew I’d find you here, Ryu,” a male voice interrupted his train of thoughts from behind. “You’re so predictable.”_

_The azure-haired man spun around, an expression of surprise and recognition washing over his face._

_It was another young man, with long, flowing violet hair that stood out in the moonlight. His onyx half-breastplate, very similar to but considerably darker than Ryu’s, were worn over black clothes, complete with a black coat that the wind caught and played with. His rapier, slimmer than Ryu’s long sword, rested in its sheath strapped below his waist behind him._

“ _Teepo?” Ryu shook his head. “What are you doing here?”_

“ _What does it look like I’m doing?” Teepo responded smugly, crossing his arms. “I’m here to bring the lost puppy home.”_

“ _Lost puppy…” He laughed. “All right, all right, I’ll return to the castle with you. But…” His eyes dulled once more. “Not until I visit the graveyard.”_

“ _Sure thing. In fact, I’ll come with you.”_

_He smiled. “Thanks.”_

_At that very moment, clouds covered the moon, blocking out its light. While the forest was hidden in darkness, there was a strong gust of wind, strong enough to throw someone off the ground, followed by a great flash of light accompanied by the clap of thunder._

_When the light dimmed, the two men were gone, but in their places were two large shadows, soaring into the air easily with their great wings towards the northern mountains._

 

* * *

 

_Arcis, the last stronghold for the Brood. Throughout the one-hundred year war, this well-built fortress was home to soldiers as well as refuges, shielding them from the flames of war that engulfed the barren fields of Arcis Plains._

_Once upon a time, Dragnier was a place much more magnificent than here, serving as the headquarters that commanded forces that reside in other fortresses._

_But alas, no longer._

_Dragnier now lay in ruins, covered by centuries old of dust. The Brood dwindled to a mere hundred, and they could no longer protect a place as big as Dragnier._

_Arcis was all they had left, all they could protect._

_But there was still hope left in this place. Hope in the form of the Dragon Prince._

_In the clear blue sky, two large creatures soared, their great wings spread to catch the wind. A roar that signified their return rang across the castle, making all residents look up._

“ _He’s back!” one man cried. “The Prince is back!!”_

_With a great flurry of excitement, everyone dropped what they were doing and rushed to the entrance, their eyes shining with relief. The crowd gathered by the gates, leaving just enough space for the gatekeepers to squeeze through, just as the two creatures landed gracefully, a burst of light engulfing them._

_And, from the light, two young men emerged, heading towards the gates._

“ _Lord Ryu! Lord Teepo!” one of the gatekeepers cried, saluting. “Welcome back!”_

“ _Welcome back!” the crowd cried._

“ _It’s good to see you safe and sound, Lord Ryu,” an old woman added, bowing respectfully._

_Ryu nodded, smiling. “It’s good to be home, everyone.”_

_Another gatekeeper saluted. “You should head on inside, Lord Ryu. Lady Deis has been informed of your return.”_

_The Prince’s expression fell._

“ _Stop looking like that, Ryu,” Teepo said good-humouredly. “You knew this was coming when you decided to sneak out to visit the graveyard in Dauna.”_

_He sighed. “Still… I wouldn’t have been found out if it weren’t for a certain someone.”_

_Rolling his eyes, he started heading through the gates. “Oh yeah, blame it on your bodyguard… I’m just doing my job, you know.”_

_He shrugged and followed. “And having fun watching me being chewed out while you’re at it?”_

_A grin washed over his face. “Well, I don’t deny that.”_

“ _Hey…”_

_Through the huge double doors that led into the fortress, they emerged in the entrance hall. The moment they stepped foot inside, however, one of the hallway doors burst open as someone barged through… Deis, the person in charge of the castle._

_And she was certainly not happy._

“ _Have fun,” Teepo whispered slyly._

_Ryu sighed. “I’ll get you for this, Teepo…”_

“ _RYU!!” Deis screamed, making everyone jump, as she slithered swiftly across the floor towards him. “Where have you been?! I’ve had the warriors AND the civilians searching high and low for you all over Arcis!!”_

_The Prince stepped back quickly. “S-sorry, I only went to the graveyard for a minute!”_

“ _That one minute caused PANIC ALL over the castle!! Is that how a prince should act?!” She waved a hand. “You should’ve at least brought First Protector Teepo with you!!”_

_Teepo shrugged. “How about ‘Only’ Protector Teepo?”_

“ _That’s even worse!!”_

_A loud laugh filled the entrance hallway, making everyone turn towards a skinny old man. “Give the little rascal a break, Lady Deis… Lord Ryu may be close to a hundred years old, but he’s still a kid at heart.”_

_Deis shook her head exasperatedly. “Jono, are you going to let him off easy again?”_

“ _Why not?” The old man waved a hand nonchalantly. “There wasn’t any harm done, just a little confusion here and there… besides, it’s not like he went out to party; he went to visit the graveyard.”_

“ _Well, that’s true, but…” She sighed in frustration. “Fine, Ryu, I’ll let you off this time. I swear you’re growing more and more like Ladon lately…”_

_Ryu beamed. “Thanks, Lady Deis, Master Jono!”_

_The smile on the old man’s face instantly disappeared. “I told you many times; DON’T call me MASTER Jono!!”_

_He stepped back quickly. “S-sorry!”_

_Everyone else laughed._

_One man placed a hand on Ryu’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you back safe and sound, Lord Ryu.”_

 

* * *

 

_The wind blew across the grassy plain, like the echoing voice of a spirit trapped beyond Time. The grass swayed in the wind, as though responding to the sorrow, as though overcame with emotion. The sun shone quietly in the sky, doing nothing to ease the sorrow in the wind… it knew the warmth in its rays would not reach the heavy hearts across the lonely plain._

_The footsteps were slow, heavy. The hearts were as sorrowful as the wind. The warriors continued on, their hands gripping their weapons tightly._

_Arcis Plains. The designated battlefield between the Brood and the Goddess._

_Arcis Plains. This was the place they would gladly lay their lives for victory._

_At the distant hills that framed the green horizon, they could see the enemy soldiers advancing, towards the centre that would inevitably be their place of judgment._

_Monsters, like Chimeras; demons, great wings of Darkness; machine soldiers, their battle systems engaged._

_Thousands of them._

_All led by the four, the Guardians of the Goddess._

_The wind whispered sorrowfully._

_Yet, as he watched the oncoming troops, there was no fear on the Dragon Prince’s face. There was only determination._

_To end this war._

_Teepo steeled himself, pushing aside the doubts and questions for their fate._

_Yes, he should not falter. Not when the Prince’s life depended on him, his only Protector._

_He nodded slowly. He was ready._

_Returning his nod, Ryu drew his sword slowly, his cold blue eyes focused frontward, and raised it._

_The blade sliced the air in a forward motion._

_That was their command._

_To battle._

_For the Dragons._

_The Dragon warriors gave a loud battle cry and charged. Their voices, echoing across the plain, turned into roars that rivalled the clap of thunder as bursts of light engulfed their bodies._

_Twenty-one Dragons glided through the air swiftly, charging into battle._

_Twenty-one Dragons against twenty-thousand soldiers._

_And they fought with glory._

_Determined roars filled the air. Screams of fear, screams of pain, slowly faded behind the clashes of steel. Lightning flashed across the battlefield, icicles rained down from the sky. Flames burned the ground, and cracks tore the earth into two._

_Pain. Suffering._

_Death awaited._

_There were too many of them. Too many stood in their way to the Goddess._

_Too many to defeat._

_Yet, they could not unleash their full power. They could not. The fate of the world was at stake._

_They would rather die than to destroy the world for their victory._

_The battle dragged on. With each soldier slain, another came to replace. They kept coming at them, again and again, repeatedly, like a constant stream of river they were unable to contain._

_One by one, the Dragon warriors fell in exhaustion and pain. Step by step, the enemies were closer to Arcis._

_Minute by minute, the fate of the Brood slipped towards extinction._

_Teepo could barely stand, breathing heavily as he trudged onward. His weary eyes kept a lookout in all directions, to ensure the Prince’s safety, but he knew he couldn’t last much longer. The heavy feeling in his heart was a constant reminder._

_He didn’t want to continue. He didn’t want to fight._

_He didn’t want to take part in the warring destiny of the Brood._

_But he had to continue, for Ryu’s sake. He couldn’t leave his blood brother here, alone, to deal with this overwhelming destiny._

_Suddenly his knees buckled beneath him, unable to sustain his weight further. His sight growing blurry, he fell forward with a cry, but still had enough strength to slam the blade of his rapier into the ground for support._

“ _Dammit… dammit!!” he hissed under his breath, shaking his head to clear his vision. “Get up, Teepo, you idiot! Ryu’s depending on you!”_

_But his body refused to budge._

_Then, he felt a presence before him. A hostile presence._

_A demon, as crimson as the blood that dripped from its gleaming claws._

_Ready to finish him._

_Yet exhaustion continued to root him to the ground._

_He chuckled heavily. “I always thought I’d go before Ryu…”_

_And he resigned himself to his fate._

_With a cackle, the demon thrust its bloody claws forward._

“ _No! TEEPO!!” Ryu’s voice cried from behind._

_Teepo’s heart grew cold with fear._

“ _Don’t tell me he’s going to…” He turned quickly. “No! Ryu! DON’T!!”_

_But it was too late._

_As the demon’s claw aimed for Teepo’s heart, the Prince rushed forward and lodged himself between his comrade and enemy, shouting his Protector’s name._

_Suddenly everything around them was silent._

_The silver sword fell with a loud clang._

_The white coat turned crimson._

_Blood dripped to the ground in large amounts._

_And Ryu, his arms spread valiantly, stood determinedly in front of his Protector._

_With the demon’s claw pierced through his stomach._

_Teepo’s eyes widened, his mind went completely blank. He heard nothing but a stabbing silence. He saw nothing but the demon forcefully pulling the bloody claw out, nothing but the falling figure of the Prince._

_Blood stained the sight red._

_He was supposed to protect him. He protected him instead._

_And now, the Prince would die in his place._

_Suddenly, a rush of anger burst into flames from within. His crimson eyes blazing with fury, he sprang to his feet with a snarl, his rapier gleaming violently in the sunlight. With a great slash, the demon was instantly killed, its remains fading away into nothingness._

_But it wasn’t enough. The anger continued to boil inside him, growing hotter and hotter like a volcano that was forced to contain its lava. Energy surged in his veins at lightning speed, growing stronger and stronger with each cycle, fuelling him with great strength._

_Power. Spreading all over him._

_He began to glow._

“ _NO!!” he growled, shaking his head quickly. “Focus, Teepo! Focus!!”_

_He had always known how much devastation can be caused by losing control to the overwhelming emotions. He had to stay focused. He had to help Ryu._

_The nearby soldiers turned in fear, edging away from him._

_A deep hatred poured into him, hatred for the Goddess and her soldiers. A deep hatred for the Brood’s warring destiny, a deep hatred for the century-long war._

_A deep hatred for his inability to help his comrades._

_His brethrens, collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion._

_His brethrens, covered in wounds they could have otherwise easily avoided._

_Ryu, lying in a pool of blood._

_Then, he snapped._

_He screamed into the sky. A scream filled with hatred, with frustration._

_A scream filled with pain._

_A blinding pillar of light shot upward from him, slicing the sky into two like a gigantic blade, sending the soldiers scurrying away in fear._

_The human scream faded away, a great roar rang loudly through the plains._

_When the light faded, Teepo was gone. In his place was a magnificent Dragon that rivalled the Kaiser._

_With gleaming onyx scales. With great dark wings that looked as though they could blanket the sky in complete darkness._

_A Dark Dragon._

_Descendant of the clan that once supported the Goddess._

 

* * *

 

_An eerie silence filled the halls, undaunted by the howls of the dark storm that raged outside. Lightning flashed into the windows of the castle, thunder roared into them. Dark crows gathered in the halls, on the ceiling boards, on the doors, like vultures ready to prey on weak, hapless victims._

_The air was thick with fear._

_Ryu, the hope of the Brood, lay unconscious on his bed. The bloodied bandage on his stomach was a painful reminder of his Protector’s inability to protect._

_Teepo watched from the corner of the room, his fists clenched tightly._

_He hated the war. He hated it._

_The war had brought nothing but sadness and pain to all of them. It had brought nothing but a slow, torturing death that led them slowly to extinction._

_Ryu, the warrior with the power of the Dragon God, was forced to reincarnate and return to continue the war. Forced to lose many people dear to him, forced to lead the Dragons to their deaths._

_And for what? Was there any point in this? Was there any point in fighting the Goddess?_

_He hated the Brood’s warring destiny. He hated Ladon for it._

_Ryu held the power to end the war, to persuade the people to turn their backs on their destructive destiny…_

_But Teepo knew; the Prince would not do it. He was too loyal to Ladon, too faithful to do that._

_The Protector sighed._

_Perhaps it would only end when each and every last one of them died…_

_At that very moment, the door opened, and Teepo turned at the sound._

_It was a civilian man._

“ _Do you have a moment, Teepo?” he asked._

_Teepo’s eyes narrowed. They had always called him ‘Lord’ Teepo… with the omission of the title, it sounded as though he was suddenly disliked._

_But he nodded without a word._

_The man led him out the Prince’s room, closing the door quietly, then to a particular large hall that was once used for celebrations._

_The hall was bare. Undecorated._

_And there was a menacing feeling in the air._

_A huge crowd had gathered in the room, together with a warrior or two who had recovered well enough to walk. There were different emotions on their faces; anger, disgust, fear… sadness._

“ _What’s all this?” Teepo demanded, raising his voice a little. “What’s going on?!”_

“‘ _Lord’ Teepo…” One man shook his head. “Are you of the Dark Dragon clan?”_

_He was surprised. “Dark Dragon clan? What are you talking about?”_

“ _If I may.” One warrior stepped out from the crowd. “Lord Teepo, during our last battle in Arcis, we have clearly seen you transform into a Dark Dragon… the same battle Lord Ryu was wounded.”_

_Teepo was confused. He could recall nothing after Ryu protected him… did he really turn into a Dark Dragon? In the whole the hundred-year war, he had never been able to take on his original Dragon form… he had always relied on forms borrowed from fallen Protectors._

_Was he really part of the clan who had betrayed the whole family?_

_The warrior shook his head slowly. “Forgive us for thinking so, but we have started to doubt you, Lord Teepo. Some of us, myself included, wonder if you, like your ancestors, chose to betray our family and side with the Goddess Myria.” His eyes narrowed. “We wonder if you were the one who inflicted the wound on Lord Ryu.”_

_This brought a sudden outburst from the crowd._

“ _Of course he did! He’s a Dark Dragon!!”_

“ _Wretched Dark Dragon!”_

“ _Evil Dark Dragon!”_

“ _You don’t belong here!!”_

_Cries of agreement filled the hall, echoing off the walls._

“ _NO!!” Teepo growled, his crimson eyes flashing. “I may be a Dark Dragon, I don’t know, but I didn’t betray you!!”_

“ _Betrayer!!”_

_Furious, he raised his voice. “I – DID – NOT – ATTACK – RYU!!”_

_This seemed to spark a new level of violence from the people. They charged right at him, even the civilians who were unable to take on the form of a Dragon. They shouted insults in his face, crowding him and slamming him into a corner, trying to mangle him with their own hands._

_Teepo froze when he saw their eyes._

_Madness. A fanatical desire to remove the betrayer from their midst._

_A fanatical desire to win the war._

_It was at that moment… at that very moment, he saw._

_Why the Goddess chose to remove the Brood from the face of this earth._

_But he did not get the chance to ponder further as a familiar voice spoke above the cries of the crowd._

“ _Unhand him. He speaks the truth; he didn’t hurt me.”_

_The crowd was immediately silenced, eyes turning towards the door._

_Ryu, accompanied by Deis and Jono._

_Frightened by the Prince’s sudden appearance, all civilians and warriors in the hall quickly separated from Teepo and knelt in respect, heads lowered towards the floor._

_Ryu approached his Protector, one hand clutching his wound. “Are you okay, Teepo?”_

“ _I’m fine, but…” Teepo sighed a little. “Are you sure you should be up? That’s a nasty wound you have there, you know.”_

“ _Yeah, given by you!!” a voice cried from the kneeling crowd._

“ _Silence!” Deis shouted, slithering towards the crowd. “We’ll settle this through an actual discussion, not through accusations!”_

_Jono sighed. “Doesn’t look good. These people seem bent on Teepo being a betrayer…”_

“ _I’m not,” the Protector argued._

“ _I know.” Ryu smiled. “You may be a Dark Dragon, but it doesn’t change a thing. You’re still my best friend, my brother.”_

“ _Thanks, I appreciate it. I’m glad you’re okay, too.” He half-grinned. “But can we stop here before we get too sappy?”_

_He laughed. “Get that idea out of your head, Teepo.”_

_But both of them knew they had to deal with the situation at hand. Ryu turned towards his people, his expression grim._

_Teepo knew then that his friend was gone. All that was left was the Dragon Prince._

“ _Rise,” Ryu commanded._

_The people obeyed, eyeing their leader uncertainly._

“ _Lord Ryu,” one man spoke up. “Please remove Teepo as your Protector and banish him from Arcis!”_

“ _Execute him!!” a woman shouted._

_The Prince’s expression did not change. “Dragons of Arcis, we have all fought long and hard in this war. We have lost a great many warriors and Protectors. We have lost many people dear to us, we have endured much suffering and pain. Everyone here has worked hard, supporting everyone in any means possible… then I must ask you this; hasn’t Teepo been doing the same?”_

_A long silence. An involuntary weep escaped a few women._

“ _We have all been together since the beginning of the war, Teepo and I have been together since our birth. Never once did he betray anyone, never did he once try to. He has been a great support to us through out this war. Was all that forgotten because of the colour of his scales?” He looked around the room. “I know there were rumours of him being a Dark Dragon from the beginning, but I had always hoped the titles you gave us – Ryu of the Light and Teepo of the Dark – was given solely because of the colour of our favourite coats.”_

“ _But the Dark Dragons sided with the Goddess in the past!” one argued from the crowd. “What makes you think he won’t do the same?!”_

_Ryu gazed firmly at him. “I trust him.”_

_This stunned the people into silence._

_Jono stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Trust is important. Without it, we will surely lose this war. We must see beyond the colour of our scales. Don’t you think so?”_

_The crowd nodded, some mumbling their responses._

“ _Then it’s settled,” Deis declared. “Teepo will remain as the First Protector, as one of us.”_

_The subdued crowd bowed respectfully and left the hall, though some did it grudgingly. Teepo sighed in relief, glad that it was all over… but he knew, things would never be the same at Arcis._

_He would always be seen as a betrayer in their eyes._

“ _Why won’t this war end…?” He gazed at the ceiling above. “Why do we have to keep fighting…?”_

“ _Teepo…” The Prince sighed. “We must send Myria back to Gods’ Realm, that’s our task in this world.”_

_Fuelled by sudden anger, he snarled. “But what’s the point?! What’s the point of fighting for this weak world when it’s not even our world?! What’s the point of fighting to the death?!” He swung a hand. “Why are we fighting when we know we’re going to lose?!!”_

“ _This world needs our help, Teepo.” Deis shook her head slowly. “The people don’t have power like ours, because we’re all not from here.”_

_Jono placed a hand on the Protector’s shoulder. “Would you be able to sit by and watch her control these people, when they don’t have the power to fight back?”_

“ _These are weak, selfish people!!” Teepo growled. “They don’t even remember our existence in this world!”_

“ _We can’t let Myria destroy them, even if the world has forgotten us…” Ryu turned away sadly. “It was a promise we made long ago, but it’s still a promise.”_

 

* * *

 

_The night was dark, cloudy. No light could penetrate the thick layer of clouds above. Not even the light of the full moon, whose task was to accompany lone people who could not sleep._

_Teepo was one such person tonight._

_He sat on the highest roof of the castle, hoping the darkness and the gentle night wind would help ease his heart._

_But it didn’t. The heavy feeling in his heart was as strong as ever._

_The war would not end. The Prince would continue to lead the warriors to battle, come what may._

_Even if Death claimed them on the battlefield._

_Even if they fought all the way to extinction._

“ _Ryu, you idiot,” Teepo muttered, running a hand through his hair. “What good will death do you even if you win…?”_

_There was no one to answer him._

_At least, that was what he thought, until a strong gale blew, and a gentle voice reached into his mind._

“ _Teepo… my poor Teepo…”_

_A female voice._

_And he recognised it._

_Myria._

“ _What do you want?” he demanded aloud._

“ _Only to console you… I understand the pain you have in your heart… my poor Teepo…”_

_An abrupt idea came into his mind. He thought for a moment, then decided to chance it. “Myria… can you end this war?”_

“ _End this war? Perhaps I could, but it will not be easy if the Brood insists on continuing it…”_

_He sighed. “I know. It’s a pointless war, and yet I can’t do a thing to stop it…”_

“ _No, there is something you can do to end this war… something only you can do…”_

“ _Something… only I can do?”_

 

* * *

 

“ _Just hurt him, she says, so she can end this war…” Teepo muttered under his breath. “But how can I do that to my brother?”_

_The battle raged around him, screams and explosions piercing his ears. He struck the enemies who tried to attack the Prince, but as he gazed at his back, he wondered if he could do it._

_He had only needed to stop him for this battle, and Myria would do the rest._

_Could he trust her?_

_He felt he could trust her more than his own brethrens. His brethrens who resented him for being a Dark Dragon._

“ _It is sad we must resort to this method, but when one is firm to his beliefs, it is impossible to change his mind,” Myria had said to him the night before. “You do not wish to hurt him, but there is no choice but to do so in order to stop him…”_

“ _No choice, huh…?” Pain tore at his heart. “If it will end this war and free Ryu of his obligation… not to mention mad at me for life… I guess it’s worth the risk.”_

_It was painful, but it had to be done._

_He was already marked as a betrayer. This would not change their minds._

_This would finally free the Brood. They would all finally be united, finally returning to Gods’ Realm together._

_Yes, he would do it._

_Steeling his heart, he raised his rapier._

_He screamed his friend’s name._

_Ryu turned sharply, surprise evident on his face._

_His eyes widened._

_With a loud cry, Teepo stabbed as hard as he could. The tip of his blade aimed for the right shoulder._

_An arrow struck Ryu’s back._

_The Prince’s body curved backwards in reflex._

_And Teepo’s blade stabbed him._

_In his heart._

_A strangled gasp escaped him._

_His hand clutched at his chest._

_He fell to the ground._

_Teepo’s eyes widened with fear and shock._

“ _Ryu! NO!!” he cried, kneeling next to his friend. “RYU!!”_

_Ryu coughed weakly, his cerulean eyes gazing at his brother questioningly._

“… _Tee…po…”_

_But there was no accusation in his eyes._

_Only pain and sorrow._

_And the light in his eyes flickered away._

_Teepo’s eyes widened. “N-No… no… Ryu!!” He tried to shake the Prince awake. “Wake up, Ryu! I only wanted to stop you, not kill you!! RYU!!”_

_There was no reply._

_Sobbing, he threw his head upwards and screamed. “RYUUUUU!!!”_

_And the curved blade of a halberd stabbed him through the chest._

_A strangled gasp came from him._

“ _I am Guardian Gaw…” a gruff voice stated from behind him. “Here to sentence you to death.” The golden eyes narrowed. “Remember the name in the afterlife, evil one.”_

_When the halberd was forcefully yanked out of his chest, Teepo fell sideways onto the ground, his eyes wide open._

_One last thought crossed his mind._

This is… the price to pay…

_He gave a weak bitter chuckle, then heaved his last breath._

_There they lay. Ryu of the Light and Teepo of the Dark._

_Dead. Side-by-side._

_In the battlefield chosen by their warring destiny._

_And a loud voice rang through the battlefield._

“ _L-Lord Ryu has fallen!! The Brood has LOST!!”_

 

* * *

 

Ryu inhaled sharply from the memory, his eyes wide open with astonishment and disbelief.

“No…”

… _the reason why I lost four hundred years ago… is…_

No. It had to be false.

He refused to believe it.

Teepo was his friend. His brother.

His Protector… who betrayed him.

But yet, within the depths of denial, there was a small feeling of understanding.

Now he knew why. Why his nightmares always ended with him being stabbed in the chest.

Why Lord Ladon refused to tell him the truth.

“Shocking, isn’t it?” Teepo said, his expression harsh. “Betrayed by your own brother…”

“How… how could you?!” Nina cried, tears filling her eyes. “You were his friend!!”

“Teepo?! Why?!” Rei shouted.

Teepo turned away. “I didn’t quite understand why then… but I understand now. Us, the Brood… our race has to be destroyed. So much blood had been shed to reach this point…” He closed his eyes. “…nothing but hardship awaits us wherever we go… violence… pain… blood…” His eyes snapped open, facing them. “That’s the Brood… that’s what we are! We pose a great danger to the world. Our power… no, our very existence threatens it; we cause war and chaos wherever we go!!”

Silence hung in the air.

“…so, _Mr._ Teepo…” Rei, having snapped out of his shock, stepped forward, the usual good-humouredness no longer on his face. “The Goddess put it into your head to wait here… wait here and kill Ryu again, huh?”

“NO!!” Teepo growled. “She’ll never harm anyone or allow anyone to be harmed!” He clenched his fist. “She simply fears for the world, should the power of the Brood be left uncontrolled…” He shook his head sadly. “Ryu, we’re different from them, we can’t be with them… That’s why you need to stay here with me… with me and the Goddess Myria…”

Ryu shut his eyes tightly, his heart still in denial.

The violet-haired man sighed. “You still don’t understand, do you? But that’s okay, take your time…” Suddenly he thrust a hand forward, pointing a finger at Ryu. “Look within yourself!!”

All of a sudden, there was a great flash of light, and Ryu suddenly found himself alone with Teepo in Eden… his companions had disappeared.

Another flash of light, and the other Dragon was gone.

And, with a final flash of light, Ryu himself vanished.

 

* * *

 

A great abyss.

That was the first thing Ryu saw.

He found himself standing on a circle of turquoise tiles that shone brightly against the great darkness of the abyss, surrounded by violet tiles that did not shine. They were a soothing combination, easy on the eyes, though only bright enough to illuminate a few feet around him. Four blocks of clear violet crystals stood in four areas of the circle.

“Where… am I…?” he muttered, looking around.

“This is your mind…” Teepo’s voice spoke. “Your heart given shape.”

“My… heart…?”

Teepo strode onto the purple tiles, the expression on his face unreadable. “Here, not only you can enter your own heart, but also those of your so-called friends… then, you’ll learn that I am… that Holy Myria is right…”

Ryu clenched his fist, his heart wanting to yell that they were better friends than him, but he said nothing.

Once Teepo faded away into the darkness, another spot appeared to the left, the same circle of turquoise and purple tiles shining.

Ryu stepped forward, approaching that new spot, determined to sort out his thoughts.

As soon as he entered the new circle, he heard Nina’s voice.

“Whenever I decided to do something, my mother would always ask me…” Her voice filled with sorrow, she appeared at the opposite edge of the circle, her head buried in her arms leaning against her knees. “…is that what a princess of Wyndia should do…?” She slowly looked up at him, her eyes red with tears. “…I would always answer yes…” Then, she disappeared.

“Huh…?” He looked around.

“But when I left the castle with Ryu and my other friends…” her voice came from behind him, with her facing away from him. “…for the first time, I wasn’t my mother’s daughter… or the Princess of Wyndia…” Her voice growing stronger, she continued, “I was able to be… just Nina…”

“You’re just being selfish, you know!” a voice similar to Nina’s shouted.

There was another Nina, her eyes filled with anger, standing with her hands akimbo.

“…I thought it was very important…” the first Nina spoke softly, still turned away. “…that we learn about Ryu and the Brood…” She turned to face him, her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know anymore…” She shook her head, the tears trickling down her face. “Maybe I left the castle just because I was… tired of being controlled by my mother…”

With that, both Nina’s disappeared away, leaving a confused Ryu. Then, he heard Rei’s voice.

“The power of the Brood…”

He followed the voice, finding his old friend leaning against a violet crystal block.

“Look at me… I have a power I was so frightened of that I swore I’d never use it, but compared to the power of the Brood, mine is insignificant…” Rei sighed, crossing his arms. “Doesn’t that just beat all…?”

He shook his head. “Rei…”

The half-tiger disappeared, suddenly reappearing beside another crystal block behind Ryu, forcing the latter to turn around. “How can anyone handle that kind of power? If it were me, I know what I’d do with it…” His voice trailing away, he turned towards the darkness. “…no… I know better. I wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of power responsibly… I’m just no good…”

And, he faded away into the darkness.

To the right, another circle of shining tiles lit up. There, sitting at the edge, was Momo.

“My father used to tell me lots of stories of the Techno Age…” she muttered, facing the darkness. “It was his life’s dream to learn all he could about that time and all the machines that were built then…”

Honey suddenly came running from the darkness and stopped in front of Momo.

Momo gazed at her. “Father… I’m almost there… it’s right in front of me…” She shook her head. “The Brood… the Goddess… I don’t know anything about them. The fate of the world? It’s too big for me…” She shook her head. “All I know is… by getting close to the Goddess, I’m getting close to that age… the Age of Machines…”

With that, she completely disappeared.

Behind Ryu, a circle of turquoise formed, and in its centre, spheres of light swirled upward in the form of a pillar. He took a deep breath and stepped into it, and his surroundings changed. Now, instead of circles of shining tiles in the darkness, now there were green paths of glass that hovered in the darkness, twisting and turning like a maze without walls.

Upon walking for some distance along the maze, Ryu came face-to-face with Garr.

“I believed that by hunting the Brood… by obeying the Goddess… I was saving the world…” He clenched his fists tightly. “But now I wonder… was I…? If they had wanted to, the Brood could have stopped us at any time…”

Ryu gazed at his companion. “Garr…”

A look of anguish washed over the Guardian’s face. “What should I have done…?”

He vanished.

The Dragon Prince shook his head. “Everyone…”

The road continued further. He walked along the path patiently, wondering now where to go, and soon he came across Peco.

“I’ve been watching you for a long time, Ryu…” he spoke surprisingly, in a voice that Ryu found familiar. He shook his head. “You need to do what you, and only you, think is right.”

“What I think is right…?” Ryu muttered to himself.

The onion bounced nearer. “The power of the Brood is something to be respected and feared… but it’s not enough to save or destroy the world.”

He gasped. “It’s… it’s not?!”

Peco nodded, and faded away.

Clenching his fist, Ryu steeled his heart and continued on, determined to end this.

At the end of the path, there was a pillar of swirling light, which he stepped into without hesitation.

However, when he emerged on a wider, golden glass floor, he found himself staring at his own face.

“Have you come to a decision?” the other Ryu asked.

Ryu stared at him, confused.

“You’re one of the Brood, you can’t afford to think only of yourself like the others. Think of what you could do with your power…” He shook his head. “Think of your people who sacrificed themselves for you… think of your lord who gave you this power…”

He closed his eyes.

He stepped closer. “If you have the power to change the world, you have to take responsibility for the world, don’t you?”

“…I don’t know if I can handle that responsibility…” He closed his eyes. “I’ve always wanted to be just a normal person…”

“Of course, there’s only one person who can take that kind of responsibility…” He raised his voice with confidence. “The Goddess Myria!”

“The… the Goddess…” Ryu slid weakly to his knees, his hands on the ground. “I… can’t do what she could… to end the long war…”

“Rise… rise and give yourself to the Goddess…” the other Ryu urged. “Become one with the world!”

The Dragon Prince closed his eyes, his heart ready to succumb to the doubt he had felt for so long…

Then, he realised.

… _wait a minute. Give myself to the Goddess?_

His resolve returned.

He stood up, glaring at his other self, determination burning in his heart.

The other Ryu gasped, drawing back. “W-what?!”

Ryu walked right through his other self, who vanished the moment he did so.

“…an illusion…”

The young man looked around, his eyes now filled with fury.

“TEEPO!!” he yelled loudly, his voice echoing in the place.

“I’ll be damned, Ryu…” Teepo’s voice came from the other end of the wide floor. “You got through my illusions.”

Ryu strode up the short stairway and confronted the violet-haired man. “You see, that’s your downfall… whenever you used that illusion trick, you’ll do well at first, then you get too eager and you end up using the wrong words.” He crossed his arms. “If only you said something else, I might actually fall for it…”

He laughed heartily. “You never change, do you, Ryu? My illusions never work on you… but still.” He shook his head. “But you understand don’t you? We share the same blood… I know you… you must understand…” He abruptly swung a hand to his side. “All the others, they’re weak and frail! They only think of themselves! What if our power are to be used by them, for their small, selfish ends?!”

He stood still, his cold eyes gazing straight at him.

“We can only entrust our power to someone who understands… someone who sees and thinks of the world as a whole… someone like Myria, Ryu.”

Ryu crossed his arms. “I get what you’ve been trying to get across, and don’t tell me I don’t understand them. But…” He took a step forward, his eyes blazing. “What makes you think she’s as holy as you think? What makes you think she thinks the same way as you do?”

He was surprised. “What… are you saying, Ryu?”

He placed a hand on his chest. “My power… this power has been given to me for the sole purpose of defeating Myria. To free the people of the world from the clutches of a Goddess who would treat them like her playthings.” He shook his head. “She may not be as holy as you think, Teepo.”

“You’re wrong… you’re wrong, Ryu!” Teepo’s expression grew grim. “If that’s your choice… if you won’t listen to me…” He turned away. “I’m afraid I can’t let you leave…” He vanished into thin air.

“Teepo?!” Ryu shouted, just as something else materialised before him.

It was an armoured skeleton, wielding a large grey scythe. It rode on a saddled two-headed red wolf that was much bigger than the Dragon Prince, its golden mane gleaming, its two golden tails swishing behind it.

“I’m sorry, Ryu…” came Teepo’s mournful voice. “But I’ve no choice but to leave you here in this dream.”

“So you’ve degraded yourself to this level, huh?” Ryu drew out his sword, with no intention to turn into a Dragon, and lunged forward. “But I don’t plan to stay in this dream either!!”

The wolf howled mournfully and charged, its rider preparing to swing its lethal scythe. Ryu ducked, the blade missing him entirely, and countered by slicing at a pair of the wolf’s golden eyes.

The blinded wolf head snarled in pain and reared, the fur in its mane bristling, while the other head fought hard to keep all its legs on the floor. Shaken by the internal conflict its steed was facing, the skeleton tried to keep its balance.

“…this is just my dream, right?” Ryu shook his head. “So you’re only an imaginary monster sent to stop me. Goodbye.”

With a strong kick to the wolf’s side, the monster toppled over the edge of the glass floor with a great howl, together with its rider.

The moment they faded from sight, a loud rumbling filled the air. The glass floor began to shatter, starting from the end opposite Ryu, signalling that this world would disappear soon. He took a deep breath, bracing himself, and when the last bit of the floor finally shattered, it dropped him into the abyss below.

 

* * *

 

Ryu continued falling, falling and falling… until he landed on the grassy ground of Eden. His companions, startled and stunned to see him return so suddenly, quickly gathered around him.

“Ryu! Are you okay?” Nina asked, immediately stepping closer to him.

“Pukyu!” Peco cried.

Ryu smiled. “I’m fine.”

“But what happened to you? Momo asked. “How come you disappeared like that?”

Rei’s eyes hardened. “Teepo disappeared when you did… so I guess he must’ve done something to you, huh?”

The young man nodded. “He tried to convince me to join Myria instead of fighting her.”

“I see.” Garr focused his eyes.

The others turned, following his gaze.

Teepo approached them, a stern look on his face. “So... you’ve come back, Ryu…”

Ryu took a step forward, his expression hardened. “Yes, I’m back, Teepo.”

“Why did you fight the Arwan?” he demanded. “All that would’ve happened is that you would lose the power of the Brood. You wouldn’t have to die!”

“I’m sorry, Teepo, but…” He shook his head. “I have to do what I think is right.”

“Fighting the Goddess is right, huh? Well, if you won’t give up your power… if you won’t submit to the wisdom of Myria…” Gritting his teeth, Teepo began to shine brightly. “Then I’ve no choice but to kill you!!”

An immense burst of light swallowed Eden, forcing all six of them to shield their eyes. Birds flew away in a panic and animals ran away to hide in a shelter, leaving a big space in the centre where they stood.

When the light dimmed, what they faced was a powerful Dragon, with a form that was almost – though not quite – comparable to that of the Kaiser.

Its snout was sharp, like that of a cone, and it had two curved silver horns that were shaped like blades; one longer than the other. Its head attached to a serpentine neck, its clawed legs muscular, and its wings consisted of a sharp mantis-like leg, with violet light that took on the shape of a dragonfly’s wings.

Its onyx scales gleamed as it roared loudly, shaking the whole room.

Rei drew out his daggers. “Man, this is Teepo’s Dragon form…?”

The princess shook her head, her wand ready. “Can we beat it…?”

“I don’t think so…” Momo admitted.

“The power of the Brood is truly immense…” Garr raised his halberd. “But this is the path we chose, and it is the path we must follow.”

Unlike his companions, Ryu gazed at the Dragon fearlessly. He laughed quietly to himself – how many times had he seen this Dragon form? Only once so far, when Teepo lost control of his power during the Dragon War.

And now twice.

He raised a hand to his side, stopping his companions.

“Please stand back,” he requested quietly. “This is something that I… that we need to settle on our own.”

The others hesitated at first, but then nodded and took several steps back.

“Teepo…” He stepped forward and stared fearlessly at the dark Dragon before him. “Since you’ve taken your true form… it’s only fair that I take mine, right?”

The Dragon nodded, growling.

He closed his eyes, his body glowing. “Let us resolve our beliefs with this last battle.”

His eyes snapped open as another great burst of light engulfed the room. Once the light dimmed, his form was no longer that of a human, but the magnificent Kaiser Dragon.

The dark Dragon roared, the crimson eyes flaring.

The golden Dragon followed suit, the cerulean blue eyes shining.

Both rose high into the air, as easily as a leaf blown by the wind.

And they clashed in the middle of Eden’s artificial sky.

A burst of energy spread across the room in an instant, forcing everyone back. The trees bent from the sheer force, the small animals and birds were thrown helplessly across the room. Nina and Momo screamed as they were thrown off their feet, but Garr quickly caught them by the arms and pulled them behind a large boulder. Peco squealed loudly, rolling across the grassy ground, but Rei grabbed him and Honey beside the Guardian.

The roars thundered loudly through the air. Razor sharp claws flashed in the artificial sunlight, tearing the ground easily as though it was paper. A torrent of energy circled the room, lifting shattered rocks, like a great vortex. Rays of hot energy, thin as a sliver of light, travelled back and forth, as the great beasts cut through the air like sword slashes cutting enemies. Explosions and snarls rang through the room, sending fear through all the animals of Eden, as the rays struck the ground and the walls.

The group of five could only watch, gaping at the battle above them.

It was like watching the heaven and the earth rage a battle, with lightning storms in between.

A battle completely beyond their league… it was truly unfathomable.

The two Dragons shrieked and clashed in the middle, their front claws grabbed onto each other.

Teepo gave a roar, dark light surrounding him. _“For the Goddess!!”_

Ryu roared in reply, his form glowing with white light. _“For the Dragons!!”_

Immense light shone in their throats.

And, with a great burst of light, it ended with a huge explosion.

An explosion of light engulfed the room, as though the sun itself was in there with them. A great gale tore the room apart, uprooting trees and sending creatures flying across the room. The five of them could only huddle behind the large boulder, holding onto each other tightly.

Then, seconds later, as suddenly as it had started, everything around the room returned to normal.

Plants lay scattered around the ground, the animals lay dazed among the plants. The five remaining travellers stood up slowly, cautiously.

There, in the centre of the room, Ryu, back in his human form, stood silently as he gazed downwards. Teepo lay on the ground, breathing heavily, his clothes partially torn.

Teepo chuckled. “You were definitely going easy on me, Ryu…”

“No, Teepo…” Ryu shook his head, kneeling down next to him.

“Believe me, I was your Protector during the hundred-year war… I know the difference between you going easy and doing your best.” He coughed weakly. “I still lost anyway…”

His eyes dulled. “…I’m sorry… I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly…”

“Do you see now, Ryu…? Myria is right…” He closed his eyes slowly. “Look at us… the Brood… all we know how to do is… fight and kill like this…”

“No, Teepo… that’s where you’re wrong.” He shook his head slowly. “Dragon or human, we’ll always face hardships. Dragon or human, it’s normal to be fighting for our beliefs… we each believed what we’re doing is right. There’s no harm in that.”

He laughed softly. “You still can say that to your enemy…”

He smiled. “You’re not an enemy… you’re my friend. My brother.”

“Our brother,” Rei corrected, kneeling next to Teepo.

“…brothers…” Teepo smiled. “…if only… we weren’t part of the Brood… if only we didn’t have to… fight like this…”

Ryu’s eyes narrowed with pain of seeing his friend suffer. “Teepo…”

He closed his eyes. “…all I ever wanted… is to be with… you, Rei, and you, Ryu…” A tear trickled down his cheek. “…my… family…”

And his breathing ceased.

Rei’s eyes grew wide. “…T-Teepo…?”

Ryu shut his eyes and turned away.

Teepo’s body began glowing faintly, then brightly, and then faded into spheres of light, which swirled around them.

The young man gazed upward and straightened, spreading his hands. “Teepo… I promise I’ll bring us Dragons back together again… as a family… back to the peaceful times… so please…” He closed his eyes, a faint white light surrounding him. “…please be my Protector again.”

The swirls of light paused, as though hesitating, and soon began circling around him. Then, there was another explosion of light, as a roar filled the room.

Ryu, who took on Teepo’s Tyrant Dragon form, threw his head upward and gave a long mournful cry that echoed throughout Myria Station. Nina placed her arms around his draconic leg and leaned her head on his knee, letting her tears flow down the scales.

Rei gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. Momo stood next to him, her head lowered.

Garr cast his eyes towards the artificial sky. Peco closed his.

In memory of Teepo. A friend who had held strongly to his beliefs to the end.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t mind Teepo’s Tyrant Dragon form… I stole the name from BoF4’s Tyrant Dragon, and the design actually reminds me of the Kaiser / Tyrant Dragon forms in BoF4. Not that there’s a connection between the two. o_o
> 
> Oh, and about Arcis, the Dragon city… well, it’s just the Latin word for ‘stronghold’. It’s easier with online translators; I don’t have to think so hard for a name. xP
> 
> Sad chapter though. T_T


	32. Twenty-Nine: The Final Cycle Completes

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Final Cycle Completes**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

_Five hundred years of pain._

 

The hallway was long, tiring. Like a path to Darkness that would never end.

 

_Five hundred years of suffering._

 

A metal gate loomed in the distance, a bright light shining through the opening. Like a portal to another world.

 

_Five hundred years of sacrifices._

 

Like the point of no return.

 

_And nine lifetimes of war._

 

He gazed forward, his eyes cold.

“Let’s go.”

 

_A tale of much pain… a tale of much sorrow…_

 

With steeled hearts, with resolute determination, they entered the light.

 

_It will all soon end._

 

* * *

 

The travellers strode in silence, advancing through the different areas of Myria Station, watching the interior design change from the grassy Eden to red metal walls, then to grey metal walls. The floor covered with dull grey tiles, the metal doors slid open easily as they approached.

However, when they stepped inside, all they could see was darkness, save for the dull light above the door. Then, the room began to grow brighter and brighter, until they could see their surroundings.

A grey prison-like square room.

Filled with five giant white roosters.

Ryu and Rei glanced at each other – these roosters reminded them of their infiltration of McNeil’s manor ten years ago… was it just a coincidence they looked just like the giant rooster they fought then?

Rei shrugged and defeated them easily with a Lightning spell, allowing them to access the door on the other end of the room.

Another room came into view… this time with three familiar creatures.

Nue.

Ryu’s eyes narrowed, his heart throbbing with the pain of remembering the painful lesson with the Nue from ten years ago. He was beginning to suspect the Goddess was up to something.

The series of rooms they passed after that confirmed their suspicions. They were fighting monsters they had defeated before in the past.

Three huge slugs, the same as the mutated creature that had tried to devour Momo in her father’s plant in Wyndia. The Angler, the giant fish they pulled up from the bottom of the sea onto Steel Beach near Junk Town. Two Ammonites, the very same creatures that had attacked them on the Black Ship during their journey across the Outer Sea. The Manmo, the hairy monster that had caused Nina to collapse from heat stroke in the Desert of Death.

Then, three of Stallion. The combined form of Balio and Sunder they had fought on Maekyss Bridge.

Two of Mikba, the monstrous lizard form of the don of Syn City, whom Rei pursued for revenge.

Even Gaist. The demonic form of other Guardian who died to free Deis.

It stunned them to silence.

“…Gaist…” Garr gripped his halberd tightly. “What purpose lies in repeating our past battles…?”

Rei growled. “I bet she’s mocking us…”

Ryu didn’t reply.

They continued on, past the grey rooms into a wide hallway, barely bright enough for them to see. Green lights shone dimly from the crystal spheres along the walls, as though watching their every move as they strode apprehensively towards the end. A great metal gate, thicker than a wall, soon blocked their way forward, showing no indication of opening.

Immediately knowing what to do, Honey jumped from her mistress’ pocket and stepped forward. A thin green ray shone from her head to the green crystal on the centre of the gate, causing the vertical crack in the centre of the gate to shine an eerie crimson. When the crimson light faded away, the gate opened; the first half slid sideways into the walls, then the second half lowered into the ground, leaving the path open for them to pass.

Suddenly, a rectangular green image formed above the opened gate, with the face of an orange-haired woman, with a golden circlet around her head.

“Navigator code for the highest level functions accepted,” a metallic voice announced from the image. “Access to library granted.”

With that, the image disappeared.

Rei rubbed the back of his head. “Man… how can she be so small and still open such a huge door like that?”

Momo beamed. “You’re amazing, you know that, Honey?”

Honey rubbed the back of her metal head, embarrassed.

Beyond the gate was a sturdy lift that, unlike the others they had boarded in this place, had no control panel and descended automatically when they all stepped onto it. Further and further down it descended, a long distance into the deepest depths of Myria Station… they could feel that they would soon meet the Goddess.

Rei swished his tail about. “Well, I’m a little nervous…”

Nina smiled sheepishly. “Me too.”

“I’m more excited than nervous!” Momo declared, spreading her arms. “I mean, look at this! It’s like we’re in the Age of Machines all over again!”

The half-tiger slapped his forehead. “You and your machines…”

Ryu didn’t join in the conversation. He merely stared at the passing metal wall, lost in his thoughts.

Garr, his expression grim, stood beside him. “We are soon to arrive. The Goddess’ residence is but within the library.”

He turned to face him. “You’ve been here before?”

He nodded. “Never once by foot, always by portal, for I am sometimes summoned by the Goddess… but no longer.” His eyes grew distant. “Perhaps, by choosing to bring you to meet her, I am no longer in her service…”

He lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry…”

The Guardian smiled slightly. “It is by my own choosing that I brought you here, Ryu. There is naught to apologise for.”

Ryu smiled as well. “Okay.”

The lift began to slow down, bringing their conversations to an end. At the bottom of the long shaft, it stopped without as much as a hiss, and the metal gate before them parted to let them pass… revealing a dark room.

They stepped from the lift apprehensively, wondering this place was like the prison-like rooms where they had fought their past opponents. When they were barely a foot away from the gate, the arrows on the centre of the floor and the lines on the walls began to light up, starting with the ones on their end and gradually spreading to the other side, revealing a long hallway.

The moment the lights reached the opposite end, the faded image of an orange-haired woman in a long emerald-green dress appeared, with a golden circlet around her head… exactly the same woman who had appeared when Honey opened the gate before.

“Welcome,” the same metallic voice came from her. “We serve the almighty Goddess. Before you meet with the Holy Myria, please hear our words.”

“Is she ahead?” Ryu asked grimly.

She nodded. “The Holy Myria awaits you ahead.”

The Dragon Prince nodded at his companions, who returned the gesture, and they all walked past the woman and through the wide door at the end.

Beyond the door was a gigantic room, with winding platforms that led to doors to rooms, circled around the room like a coiled snake. A serene blue light shone from the edge of the dark metal floor, along with lights from dark-blue crystal spheres on the walls. As the group strode across the platforms, they met more of these orange-haired women with the exact same faded appearance, some speaking through a rectangular green image with only their face showing.

Each and every one of them had words of praise for the Goddess.

“Before the coming of Holy Myria, the world was dying... the wounded earth was covered in sand, and the very life was being sucked out of its inhabitants. The grieving Myria used all of her divine power to divide the world into two halves… one half being where you are now, the Desert of Death, and the other… the world you came from, overflowing with life… separated by the vast and violent ocean you call the Outer Sea, which protects your world from the desert…”

“It is Myria’s desire to protect life… to protect your world… even a monster’s life is sacred to her…”

“In order to protect the life she so loved, Myria instituted many forms of safeguards and controls… foremost among these is the control of technology. She makes certain that no dangerous machines, like weapons, are developed, only allowing the use and repair of existing machines… keeping the study of machines from leading to potentially destructive ends…”

“Another control is achieved through the energy of chrysm ore, which is the fossilised remains of living beings… transmuted by the blessed power of the divine Myria. Chrysm ore is no more than one of the ways Myria provides the world with her magical energy…”

Ryu’s heart was filled with doubt. While he was gone in past the four hundred years, Myria had done nothing but to help this world… was Teepo right after all? Were they, the Brood, the ones who had wrought war to this world instead of protecting the world like they were led to believe?

They had fought the battles to near extinction. So many sacrifices were made, so much pain and suffering was brought upon them… were they all… pointless…?

He didn’t know anymore…

Finally, the long platform ended, leading to a lift that would lead them to their destination. They stepped onto the thin metal platform, surrounded by protective fence, and with the guidance of a moving stream of light, the lift carried them upwards to a much higher platform, nearly wide enough to cover the whole room. The floor was dark, tiled with black, but the walls, like the hallways, shone with lines of light.

The lift stopped with barely a jerk, and one side of the protective fence lowered to allow them to pass. They stepped off the lift apprehensively, looking around the platform…

It was then when Ryu’s prana shone. The warm energy rose inside him, gathering at his forehead in the form of a golden light. The sphere of light appeared above his head and a thin beam of light extended from it, cutting through the air to another golden light in the centre of the room.

As the light disappeared, a young woman materialised in the air before them. She had the most beautifully shaped face, her pink lips curled in a serene smile, her fair skin glowing ethereally. Her elegant dress was made from a pink material that glowed, her long silky golden hair danced playfully with the hem. Behind her, the feathers of her four angel wings shone with different colours that changed every second.

It was the person they had been seeking for so long.

The Goddess Myria.

She gazed at them in turn. “Rei… Nina… Momo… Guardian Garr… and Ryu…”

They looked up at her, with Nina, Rei and Momo wondering how she knew their names. Ryu merely glared at her coldly, unable to forget the past wars against her.

The Goddess smiled. “My brave, strong children… who crossed the violent ocean and the burning desert… no doubt you have questions in your mind.” She spread her hands. “I am Myria.”

Garr bowed respectfully. “Milady… we have journeyed far seeking you, that we might know the truth.” He turned his eyes upwards at her. “Oh Goddess, tell us… why did the Brood have to be destroyed?”

“Is there anyone who wishes the destruction of life? I certainly do not… but… the power of the Brood was too great… too great for my small, small world…”

“Okay, so Ryu has power that’s on a completely different level from us, but he’s the only one who can use it now.” Rei crossed his arms. “In your _small_ world, there are also others who have powers that are just as dangerous.” He held a hand to his chest. “…like my uncontrollable weretiger form.”

She nodded slowly. “That is also the result of the Brood. Long exposure to their great power, their very existence, gave the destructive powers that other races now possess.” She gestured towards the half-tiger. “Such is your transformation… Mikba’s… Stallion’s…” She gestured towards Nina. “…and the Wyndians’ wings.”

Nina gasped. “Even my wings… were given by the Dragons…?”

Garr closed his eyes. “Such is the power of the Brood…”

“Power that no race should have…” The Goddess shook her head sadly. “But, once the Brood are gone, there will be no more of these destructive powers… I will be able to protect my small, small world… as you know, this side of the world is almost entirely buried by sand. Life has been driven nearly to extinction; I have to preserve what little is left… I have to save the rest of the world from the danger called the Brood.”

“So what you’re saying is…” Rei rubbed the back of his head. “We should sit back and let you take care of us, like we’re your babies or something, right?”

She smiled placidly. “Exactly, Rei… if I did not hold the desert back using the Outer Sea as a shield, the desert would slowly, inevitably spread across the entire world… if I did not continue to create the machines that are repaired and used worldwide, civilisation as we know it would surely perish…”

“But while we don’t have the means now, someday we might be able to build our own machines,” Momo argued.

“If the world were covered with sand, your lives would be consumed with the struggle to survive… you would not be able to build anything, and even if you succeeded in creating the machines you needed…” She gazed at the engineer. “Can you say with certainty that you would not also build a weapon with which you might also destroy yourselves, Momo?”

“W-well…” She could find no answer.

“In the past, this world was large, larger than you can imagine… many people once lived here in Caer Xhan. But they fought and quarrelled among themselves, and finally the city was swallowed by the desert. I… was unable to protect them…” She shook her head forlornly. “I will not make the same mistake again.”

“…Myria,” Ryu interrupted, finally speaking, his eyes harsh. “Why don’t you throw away that facade? It must be really tiring to keep it up for so long.”

“Facade?” Nina echoed.

At first Myria merely gazed at him, smiling serenely… then she unexpectedly laughed, a high laugh that destroyed the very image of a holy Goddess they had in mind.

“My, Ryu, you’re as sharp as ever. What am I going to do without you looking to defeat me every time? I’ll die of boredom!”

The other five were stunned, their mouths wide open.

The Dragon Prince chuckled, but there was no humour in his voice. “You never change, Myria… is it that fun to play the holy goddess who does her utmost to protect a dying world by ridding the world of evil Dragons?”

Myria nodded. “Yes, it’s quite so; much, much better than staying in that boring old Gods’ Realm!”

His voice lowered to a dangerous level. “…even manipulating Teepo?”

She laughed again, quite enjoying herself. “That drama was the best part! A boy who wishes to be with his family, yet fighting his own kind for the sake of a false belief…”

Teepo’s soul inside Ryu stirred, anger filling the latter’s heart.

Rei’s expression was grim. “So you mean to say, the world is just a small plaything for you? Even the people’s lives?!”

The princess shook her head. “How awful…”

Garr closed his eyes. “…milady…”

“But of course…” The Goddess smiled. “I was serious about protecting this world. Who wouldn’t take care of their prized possession?”

Nina looked up at the Goddess courageously. “I understand what you were trying to say before. We’re weak, and maybe we do need help and protection, and the power of the Brood may be similar to the power that destroyed this city long ago…” She spread her hands. “But flaunting your power, forcing people to follow your rules, putting yourself in a position of power for fun?! Even if you’re serious about protecting this world, what are we supposed to do? Are you saying Ryu must die, or live alone in an artificial world… like Teepo?!!”

Teepo’s soul stirred again.

“No kidding…” The half-tiger shrugged. “I don’t like the fact that all this is being controlled by you, that you’re pulling all the strings… especially when you’re doing it for fun!” He drew out his dual daggers. “I’m just like a little kid, you see… if you tell me to sit still, it just makes me want to run around more!”

“Although all this Brood stuff is too big for me…” Momo’s eyes shone with the same determination. “But I do know we’ll survive even without your protection! Humans are not that weak, that’s why we have the ability to evolve! We’ll learn, we’ll be able to build the machines on our own!”

“Milady…” Garr shook his head. “We have no desire to surrender Ryu, nor do we wish to see him killed…” He raised Gaist’s halberd. “Having travelled with him, I believe not that the power of the Brood is as fearsome and dangerous as you claim it to be!”

“I’m shocked that nearly the entire world is covered by sand,” Nina continued. “But with Ryu’s… with our power working together… then maybe, just maybe…”

Myria’s eyes flashed dangerously, her manner of speech reverting to that of her holy personality. “Enough.” A ring of golden light spread from her. “I admire your bravery and courage, Rei.”

Rei disappeared away, like a cluster of sand blown away by the wind.

“Rei!!” Momo cried.

“There is no need to worry… I will erase your memories of this place and simply return you to where you belong, Momo.” Another ring of golden light spread from her.

Momo vanished the same way.

She turned to the princess. “My strength is admittedly small… but it is all you have to live with. With power comes the responsibility to protect. Do you understand, Nina?”

As the light flashed again, Nina held her hands forward as though she could stop it with an invisible barrier… but she faded away like sand as well.

Boiling with anger, Ryu trembled, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Thank you for bringing Ryu here, Guardian Garr… your mission is now complete.”

Garr vanished with a final ring of golden light.

The Dragon Prince gritted his teeth, rage rising from within him. He was ready to step forward, ready to strike the Goddess down that very moment… but then, Peco unexpectedly stepped forward and raised his head. There was another flash of golden light, this time gathering around him, and as the light disappeared away, all his vanished companions reappeared at his side.

Relief washed over Ryu. “Everyone…”

“You seem to have forgotten me, Myria…” the onion spoke, turning towards the Goddess. “You did not call out my name… do you not know this old one?”

Stunned, Myria shook her head disbelievingly. “You… you’re Yggdrasil?!”

Everyone else gasped, staring at their little onion friend.

Ryu then chuckled lightly. “Yggdrasil… so you’ve been with me all along.”

Peco nodded. “I have been watching you, Ryu… it is time this old one lends you his hand.” He looked up at the Goddess. “Myria… you have caged this world enough.”

Myria laughed, returning to her playful demeanour. “Cage them? All I’m doing is leading my dear children by the hand… giving them a world they can live in!”

The onion shook his head. “These so-called children crossed the entire world to get here and overcame the myriad barriers you set before them… all for the sake of helping their friend, Ryu, to find his destiny! They are not as weak as you make them to be!”

She stopped, looking thoughtful. Some minutes later, she nodded. “Very well, we will let Ryu decide.”

“Me?” the young man said in surprise.

She nodded. “What will you do? If you give up your power, the world will continue to live under my protection… as it is until now. Your power, which brought you here, is too big for it… talk to your companions and decide.” She smiled. “But you will accept your fate, my Ryu…”

He doubted it, but he remained silent as he turned towards his companions.

“Pui, Ryu…” Peco spoke first. “You have to believe in yourself, and those who believe in you.”

He nodded. “Thanks, Yggdrasil… thanks for being with me.”

Nina shook her head. “To tell the truth, I’m really frightened; we’re not strong at all… if you go against fate, something awful might happen to the world… but…” She embraced him momentarily, smiling. “I’ve always believed you weren’t a bad Dragon! I’ll always believe that, no matter what happens!”

He returned the smile. “Thanks, Nina.”

“I only know how to fix machines,” Momo admitted sheepishly. “But we can always dig up those machines, even if they’re buried under a desert, and learn from them!” She grinned. “Even if the world is covered in sand, we’ll still be able to do something as long as we don’t give up! Right?”

“That’s right!” Rei agreed. “We’re not as strong as you or Myria, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything! But more than that…” His eyes darkened. “It’s because of all the nonsense she’s going on about that Teepo ended up the way he did.”

Ryu could feel Teepo’s soul inside him stirring, sadness filling his heart.

“She messed with my brother…” The half-tiger growled. “That’s one thing I can’t forgive!”

“Rei…”

“Ryu…” Garr shook his head, a forlorn expression on his face. “I brought you here simply because I wished to know the truth about my own actions… it may have been a selfish reason, but I have learned one thing from this journey…” Determination gleamed in his eyes. “Now, more than Myria, I trust you, Ryu.”

“Thanks, Garr.” Ryu smiled appreciatively, glancing at each of his comrades. “Thanks, everyone.”

Now that he had spoken to all of his companions, the Dragon Prince faced Myria. It was a decision he couldn’t handle lightly, for the fate of the world now hung in balance.

To give up the power of the Brood and live in a peaceful world watched over by the Goddess… or believe in the power of the Brood and travel into the empty desert where unknown dangers awaited?

He remembered the wars he had fought, the deaths of the people he had led against the Goddess. He remembered the pain, the suffering of the people during the wars… the hopelessness that hung in the air during the Dragon War four hundred years ago. He remembered Teepo’s words, that they were all a warring race, bringing forth destruction to the world.

And Myria had done nothing but protect the world in the four hundred years he was gone… was the war all for naught? Did their purpose, why the Brood crossed the boundaries of the two worlds… disappear with the flow of Time?

Must he fight… or must he live as Teepo had done all these years?

Fear filled his heart. The responsibility weighed on his shoulders.

He didn’t know. He didn’t know what to do.

“ _I know I’ve said it before, Ryu, but I’ll say it again,”_ Ladon spoke into his ear. _“This is your consciousness… the choice is yours, and yours alone.”_

_But… everyone’s depending on me…_

“ _Forget you’re the Prince for now… forget you’re part of the Brood. Just think of yourself as a person.”_ The silhouette of the Dragon God stood before him, the golden eyes focused on him. _“Do you really feel your journey was pointless? That nothing came from it?”_

_My… journey…?_

Memories from all of his ten lives came into mind.

Travelling from his remote, secluded village to all kinds of places, experiencing the different wonders of the world. The joy from helping people, the fear of failing, the triumph of succeeding. Meeting new friends of all shapes and sizes; the Wyndians, the Worens, the Grassrunners, and many more. Bonding with them, laughing with them, fighting along their sides.

Meeting Nina. The love that filled his heart.

His eyes snapped open, determination burned from within him.

He knew. There was only one reason he could have experienced all of his. Why did he even hesitate?

His decision was made.

“I’m sure you already know what my choice is, Myria…” He gazed at the Goddess. “I can’t give up this power.”

Myria’s expression hardened.

He closed his eyes. “Of course I thought about my people, their spirit driven into madness after death… about my destiny, and Teepo… but there’s something more important…”

He looked over a shoulder, gazing at his friends – who reassured him with smiles and thumbs-ups – and faced the Goddess once more.

“This power… no, this very life was given to me by Lord Ladon. Without it, I wouldn’t have even been born.” He raised a hand to his chest. “Because I was born into this world, weak though you say it is, I was able to experience many things. Pain, sadness, anger, hatred, relief, friendship, happiness… hope.”

“What… are you saying, Ryu?” Myria demanded.

He smiled. “If I give up this power, then I wouldn’t be myself anymore. Because of this power, because of this life… I am Ryu.”

“ _Ryu…”_ Ladon’s voice was filled with awe.

The Goddess’ eyes flashed. “Do you realise what you’re trying to do, Ryu? By making me your enemy, you realise you’re making the whole world your enemy, don’t you? I have faith in you… that the Brood are not so foolish.” She spread her hands. “Come… lower your weapon.”

Ryu felt it would be foolish to challenge a goddess… but he knew, the Brood were once gods as well. He was part of a god who had guided him throughout his lives.

He had faith in the power given to him.

With a yell, he drew out his sword and, in one swift motion, swung his blade, but in the blink of an eye, Myria faded away and reappeared above him.

“My poor Ryu… your great power has driven you mad…” She laughed. “What of those who don’t have such power? They can’t live without my protection! By not giving up your power, you threaten their very existence!” She shook her head. “Just as I always believed, the Brood are truly a danger, a threat to the world… an obstacle to me.”

“It is not true, Myria…” Peco interrupted. “It only means Life is no longer content to live in the little cage you have made for it. Life in your world has been protected from the desert and Death… but that is not the same as living…”

“Enough!” Myria growled, fury flashing in her eyes. “Ryu, son of the accursed Ladon… the time for talk is over.” Her features slowly turned a ghastly colour, reminding the others of a zombie. “You have been here again and again, always stopping me… I always hoped you would betray Ladon to join me, like your Dragon friend.”

Suddenly she screamed, a mournful howl in the air, as everything in the room grew dark. The floor they were on shook violently, as though trying to shake them off, but gradually became still as red lines of light flashed across the walls. It felt as though the platform was continuously travelling through a revolving portal, past the point of no return.

Facing the demonic form of the Goddess.

The head of the body was covered in golden hair, with her human form in front instead of a face. She retained her pretty face, the upper half of her body naked, with great pink wings replacing her arms. Gigantic red horns extended from the side of the golden hair, connected to the extremely long and wide body of a striped serpent that coiled easily as she floated.

“You will stop me no more, Ryu!” she cried, a high voice and a deep voice at the same time. “For the sake of my world, I will kill you!!”

They didn’t wait for her to strike first. Rei and Garr charged forward, weapons raised in preparation to strike, with Nina and Momo’s spells, accompanied by Peco’s Fire Breath, rushing over their heads towards the Goddess. Ryu growled and leaped into the air with a great burst of light, great wings spread by his sides, and took on the Warrior Dragon form.

Myria’s eyes flashed dangerously as a thin ray of dark light shot forward, barely missing Rei and Garr. Nina, Momo and Peco scattered hurriedly, causing the ray to burn a hole in the metal ground, from whence dark mist burst into the air like a geyser. The half-tiger, with a loud cry, leaped high into the air, landed on the striped serpentine body and, gripping his dual daggers tightly, slashed twice as hard as he could.

They barely scratched the scales.

Myria’s stomach suddenly bulged, as though something was trying to force its way out. Struck by a sudden fear, Rei quickly jumped back, shielding his face with his arms… but he wasn’t fast enough.

Three snakes burst out of the Goddess’ stomach, teeth flashing in the crimson light on the walls.

Rei’s eyes widened. His mouth opened in a silent scream.

He fell towards the ground, the daggers falling from his limp hands, blood trailing in the air.

“Rei!!” Momo shrieked, her hands glowing with her strongest healing spell.

Snarling, the Warrior Dragon swooped down like a great eagle, catching his old friend before he hit the ground. Garr, rushing forward from under him, jumped as high as he could and swung his halberd with all of his strength, aiming for the snakes. One snake gave a sharp hiss before its head was severed from its body. The rest of them returned to the Goddess, her stomach reverting to its original form as though nothing had happened.

Myria’s eyes blazed with rage, furious at the sight of her own Guardian betraying her. She fired another ray of dark light towards him, and Garr, caught off-guard, was unable to evade.

The ray struck him squarely in the chest, knocking him forcefully onto the ground, his halberd sliding across the floor several feet away from him. Dark mist engulfed him, burning him like a burst of flames would a plant.

The Guardian, who rarely fell in battle, was easily felled by the sheer power of the Goddess. Forced to the ground despite his great endurance.

Ryu growled.

He placed Rei on the ground next to Momo and soared into the air once more, transforming into the Force Dragon in a burst of light. He roared, charging towards the Goddess in a sudden burst of speed, and lashed out with his fangs. Three magical claw marks, blazing with crimson flames, slashed across the Goddess in a flash of light. Myria shrieked in pain, her serpentine body writhing, with three new burning wounds. He lashed out once more, allowing no mercy to enter his heart… but it wasn’t enough to defeat her.

With a shriek, her face opened up like a budding flower. Where her face once was, a hole was there, plainly for everyone to see. Blood dripped from the roof of the hole, sliding down her neck.

Ryu inhaled sharply, momentarily stunned by the ghastly appearance of the Goddess.

That momentary pause cost him.

Suddenly, with a great explosion of light from the hole in her face, a ray of dark light stabbed Ryu like a gleaming javelin, grabbing hold of him like a gigantic hand. Pain cut through every part of his body, burning him from the inside like a searing blade of flames. He roared in pain, his roar resonating along the walls of the room.

“No, Ryu!!” Nina shouted, her wand glowing dazzlingly. “Sirocco!!”

Fireballs rushed from her wand and towards Myria, exploding in a great burst of flames the moment they touched her.

“Ragnarok!!” Momo yelled, raising a glowing hand into the air.

The room became dark, so dark that they could not see each other. A small star blinked in the darkness above, followed by many other stars, then, without warning, comets rained down from the sky, crashing down with tremendous force on the Goddess.

“Pukyuuuuu!!” Peco cried, releasing a wave of flames.

Myria shrieked with pain, struck by explosions, comets and flames. Her attention momentarily distracted, the dark light around Ryu faded away, freeing him from its hold. He immediately retreated, landing heavily on the metal platform with quickened breath.

But the Goddess would not sit there and let the spells continue to strike her. With a shrill cry, she spread her wings to her sides, creating a magical wall of ice that became her barrier against the spells.

The three refused to stop. They unleashed even more power into their spells, hoping they were strong enough to break the barrier.

Yet the ice wall stood resiliently, showing no signs of cracking.

Myria grinned. “Foolish mortals.”

And, with a sweep of a wing, giant icicles stabbed upward from the ground like jaws of a shark, rushing towards them furiously as though ready to devour them.

Nina and Momo screamed, covering their eyes. The Dragon Prince, his heart cold with fear, rushed towards them, roaring their names.

But, even they he could not protect.

The avalanche of ice overwhelmed them. Buried them alive.

Then silence filled the air.

He snarled.

_No! I must protect them!!_

His throat filled with energy, he unleashed burst of flames onto the ice, hoping that it would melt quickly. Again and again the flames struck the ice, yet it stood its ground, undaunted.

His strength wasn’t enough.

_No…_

Ryu, unknowing reverting to his human form, sank to his knees. His eyes focused on the mound of ice, unable to take them away.

“Nina… Momo…” He shook his head. “Peco…”

He turned around.

Rei, clutching his bloody wounds.

Garr, breathing heavily on the ground.

His companions, all removed in an instant.

Because he had chosen to fight the Goddess.

Because he wasn’t strong enough to protect them.

He shut his eyes.

_Maybe I shouldn’t have chosen this selfish path…_

“A little too early to give up, don’t you think?” a familiar voice told him. “Inferno!!”

He looked up sharply.

A pool of lava gathered around the mound of ice, then, abruptly, pillars of flames shot upward like Dragons reaching for the sky, quickly melting the ice. Within a few seconds, the ice was gone, revealing Nina, Momo and Peco, who were shivering with cold but fine otherwise.

Ryu’s heart leaped. “Y… you’re fine!”

“You’re an idiot, Ryu,” the familiar voice spoke again.

He turned to face the voice, his eyes wide.

“Lady Deis…”

It was certainly Deis, her arms crossed as she slithered across the floor towards him.

“It’s a good thing I decided to come here…” She sighed. “What are you doing, Ryu?”

He felt confused. “What… I’m doing…?”

She suddenly raised her voice, making him draw back in fear. “You can handle this battle! Why aren’t you using your full power yet?!!”

“I… I…”

“You’re still doubting yourself! The Dragons, when gathered, have the power to destroy the world if they all unleash it at the same time, but you alone, you won’t be able to!” She swung a hand. “So what are you waiting for? Throw Ladon’s full power in her face!!”

Realisation filled him.

He had been afraid to use his full power in fear of destroying the world… he had never once used all of it before. With his warriors, he had always been able to defeat the Goddess without using much of his power.

But now, when he was alone with his companions… he realised he didn’t know the full extent of his power.

_Is it… okay for me to use all of it…?_

Ladon chuckled. _“Why are you asking me? You heard what Deis said. Go wild!”_

Ryu laughed to himself. _Thanks, Lord Ladon._

His heart was set. Determination burned within him.

He rose to his feet, his eyes gazing resolutely towards his centuries-long enemy.

He would use all of his power and not regret it. There was nothing left to restrain him.

Deis approached the Goddess, her snake tail trailing behind her. “Myria.”

Myria shook her head. “Sister…”

Ryu heard gasps from behind him.

“S-sister?!” Rei spluttered. “They’re sisters?!”

The half-snake gazed upward at her sister. “Aren’t you tired of this, Myria? Aren’t you tired of this war?”

Myria growled. “I’ll do what it takes to protect my world! Even if it includes killing you!!”

“Looks like I still can’t change your mind…” A sigh came from her as a wand materialised in her hand. “We’ll have to fight this out again!”

Myria shrieked, spreading her pink wings to her sides. “This will be the last!!”

Suddenly, everything grew dark, darker than a moonless night. Heavy footsteps sounded in the air, as if belonging to gigantic suits of armour. All of them gazed upward and froze in fear.

Giant crimson skeletons approached them, a dark mist obscuring everything below their waists. They cackled loudly at them in hoarse voices, as though mocking them.

Then, deep crimson light engulfed all seven of them, the colour of blood. Dark mist rushed towards the ceiling from them, gathering in the sky.

Ryu suddenly felt his strength leaving him. Breathing quickly, he tried to remain standing, but his struggle was futile. His legs buckled beneath him, forcing him down to his knees, leaving him with little strength to even lift his sword. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the others deeply affected as well.

He gritted his teeth. “You’re right this will be the last battle, Myria…” Energy surging through his veins, he threw his head upwards and gave a yell. “I’ll be the one to end it!!”

A bright white light surrounded everyone, overwhelming the crimson light and dark mist, and a roar rang across the room just as the surroundings returned to its original state.

And, above them, the Radiant Dragon floated serenely, his golden-white scales like sunlight. With his feathery white wings, he had an even more holy appearance than the Goddess when they first met her.

A gentle cry resonating, white sparkles rained down onto his six companions, restoring their strength, healing their wounds. Rei unexpectedly found himself completely healed, and Garr was able to stand properly. The others stood up slowly, their strength restored.

Then, a ferocious roar cutting the air, a bright light flashed across the room once more. Great wings of light spread open, illuminating the room, golden scales reflected the light.

The Kaiser Dragon. The last of the Brood.

With azure eyes that burned with determination.

“The Kaiser…” Myria laughed, though there was no humour in her voice. “Never before have you used this form against me! Don’t you have a care for the world anymore?” She snarled. “Then I shall use my full power against you!!”

Purple lightning sparks shot uncontrollably all over the place as strong dark light surrounded her. The platform rumbled as the same dark light covered it. Then, with a great howl, she spread her wings, unleashing all of her powers.

A huge ray of dark purple light shot towards them.

Hot energy surged at lightning speed in Ryu’s veins, circling again and again until it burned him from the inside, aching to be released. His eyes narrowed, his heart determined, he released the power in a great burst of light, a powerful ray of intense white light.

The two rays clashed in the centre. An explosion of both white and dark light spread to all corners of the room, blinding everyone in sight.

The air became dense with energy, filled with so much pressure that rocks floated in midair. The pressure grew and grew to the point it forced the other six down to their knees once more. The force of the conflict of powers tore at the walls of the room, creating cracks on them. Debris and broken pieces of machinery, torn from the walls, circled around them like a giant vortex.

Myria cackled loudly, the dark light around her shining even stronger.

“DIE!!!”

Ryu resisted, gritting his teeth as his power was forced back. The conflict of the rays approached him slowly, coming nearer and nearer, like a great snake ready to strike its target.

But he was already using everything he had; was the Goddess’ power truly greater than his?

“Ryu!!” Nina shouted from below. “Don’t ever give up! I believe in you!!”

“Yeah, Ryu!” Momo agreed. “You’ve already come this far, don’t let it end like this!!”

“Dammit, Ryu!” Rei yelled. “This isn’t the Ryu who beat me as a weretiger! You’re made of stronger stuff!!”

“Think of your brethrens, Ryu!” Garr bellowed. “Think of your brethrens who have fallen in battle!!”

“Think of Teepo!!” Deis added.

“Believe in yourself, Ryu!” Peco cried. “Believe in the power Lord Ladon gave you!!”

_Lord Ladon’s… power?!_

“ _Yes… the power I’ve given you, Ryu,”_ Ladon said, his golden silhouette standing beside him, thrusting a finger forward at the Goddess. _“The power of a god from the Gods’ Realm, equivalent to Myria’s!!”_

“ _Two gods, Ladon, not one!”_ an unfamiliar male voice corrected. _“I’m tired of sitting here in Gods’ Realm and watching Myria do as she likes! Channel my power to your warrior, Ladon!”_

“ _And mine!”_ a female voice cried.

“ _Mine, too!”_

Several other voices yelled at the same time, all volunteering, their voices entering Ryu’s mind through Ladon. Each of the gods channelled part of their power, combined into an enormous explosion of energy that rushed into Ryu.

Pain.

Burning.

Ryu faced the sky and roared loudly in pain.

The power shot through him like a blade through his heart. The light from his energy ray became even more intense, obscuring most sight.

The conflict of power rushed forward with great strength, pushing the dark ray back.

“W-what?! How?!” Myria exclaimed. “This is the power of more than one god!!”

But she was adamant not to fall.

Just as the conflict of rays was a mere foot from her, it stopped there and hung in balance.

Ryu gritted his teeth.

… _just… a bit more…_

His whole body ached. The power burned from inside.

But he wasn’t alone.

“MYOLLNIR!!” Nina, Rei and Deis cried together, as white-hot lightning bolt burst from their outstretched hands.

“PUKYU!!” Peco shouted, letting out a wave of crimson-gold flames.

“RAGNAROK!!” Momo yelled, as comets struck the Goddess.

Their powers alone were not enough, but combined, it was enough to help.

Ryu’s energy ray advanced a little further.

Myria’s eyes flashed with anger. The conflict of powers was just half a foot in front of her.

“I WON’T LOSE TO YOU AGAIN!!” she screamed, pushing the conflict an inch further.

Garr, fighting the immense pressure from the power like his companions, closed his eyes, his mind focused. His blade, once belonging to Gaist, burned with crimson flames.

“Gaist, my fallen brethren, with this final strike…” His eyes snapped open. “IT WILL ALL END!!”

With a scream, he hurled the halberd forward like a javelin.

The blazing halberd rushed past Ryu’s head, past the combination of powers, slicing through the air.

Myria’s eyes widened.

The blade stabbed her in the heart.

She shrieked loudly in pain.

Her dark powers disappeared completely.

Ryu’s white ray, strengthened by his companion’s powers, rushed forward and engulfed her.

An intense white light engulfed everything.

The Dragon Prince growled.

_Farewell, Myria… and never rise again._

Then, a great explosion.

 

* * *

 

The air was calm, the surroundings was quiet.

The Kaiser Dragon floated slowly to the ground below the platform that was the battlefield. Once he touched the floor, he flattened himself to allow his companions to descend.

Nina, her eyes glistening with tears of relief.

Rei, laughing uncontrollably at their victory.

Momo, clapping her hands with joy.

Honey, nodding in approval.

Garr, smiling slightly with gladness.

Peco, chuckling at their antics.

Only Deis chose to stay behind. To be with her sister.

But they knew. It had all ended.

Ryu was glad. The wars were over. The Brood’s warring destiny had come to an end.

Once his companions were all safely on the ground, he suddenly reverting back to his human form in a soft light, and fell weakly to his knees.

“Ryu?!” Nina exclaimed.

Garr’s eyes narrowed with concern. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” The Dragon Prince laughed softly. “Don’t worry, I’m just a little tired.”

The princess sighed in relief and smiled, kneeling next to him. “Take a good rest now, Ryu.”

“Man, that was scary!” Rei cried. “I mean, fighting with a goddess? Who the hell’s crazy enough to do that?!”

“You!” Momo said, grinning.

Ryu smiled. “We all are… we fought against a goddess.”

“But it is now over… no.” The Guardian shook his head and corrected himself. “For you, it is only the beginning. It was a long and hard journey…” He smiled. “But we did the right thing, did we not?”

Then, Garr began to glow.

“…Garr?” Rei said uncertainly.

Garr shook his head ruefully. “As a Guardian, my life must end here, with the Goddess…”

Ryu realised with a start, his heart cold with fear. “No, Garr! NO!!”

He chuckled lightly. “I have taken possession of you from Balio and Sunder during the Contest of Champions… but now you are no longer in my care.” A sad smile formed on his face. “Go… from now on, you must walk on your own…”

With that, he clasped his hands together in a silent prayer.

Within a pillar of light, the Guardian turned into stone.

Still as a statue, having fulfilled his heart’s final desire.

His life was complete.

“No, Garr…” Nina sobbed.

Momo closed her eyes. “Garr…”

“He knew it was coming…” Rei stated, shaking his head. “He was great, fighting against the powerful Goddess when he was supposed to obey her…”

Ryu gazed up at the statue of the Guardian. “Thank you, Garr… thanks for everything you’ve done for us.”

With that, he bowed respectfully.

The others followed suit.

In memory of Garr.

Their companion who had defied the Goddess at their side.

But, at that very moment, the whole of Myria Station began to shake violently with a loud rumble, cutting their mourning short.

 

* * *

 

Myria sobbed on the plummeting platform, her face streaked with tears.

“No… my world… I tried but it wasn’t enough… what should I have done…? What could I have done…?” She faced the crumbling ceiling, yelling. “If there’s truly a god, an Entity watching over us, answer me!! What should I have done with the Brood?!!”

Then, as though to answer her plea, a pillar of golden light shone onto the platform in front of her. From the golden light, Deis slithered forward, a quiet sadness on her face.

She gasped. “Sister…?”

“It’s for the best, Myria…” She shook her head. “You went too far in your attempt to wipe out the Brood…”

 

* * *

 

“Hurry, this way!!” Rei yelled, as they all sped through the halls that were flashing red, a loud siren ringing above them.

“What we need now is a rocket!” Momo cried. “Like the one my father built!”

“We’ll make it out somehow!” Nina shouted. “We’ve crossed the ocean, we’ve crossed the desert, we’ve fought a goddess, and we’ll make it out of this place alive!!”

“Pukyu!” Peco agreed, with Honey hanging on his head.

Ryu nodded. “We’ll make it!”

 

* * *

 

“Although you came to this world initially because you like being in a position of power, you protected it until now…” Deis shook her head. “You’ve grown to love this world… haven’t you?”

Myria nodded tearfully.

“But in the end, this is something you children have to overcome, to go beyond, in order to walk on their own… all baby birds leave the nest someday.”

The Goddess continued sobbing.

“Don’t worry, they can take care of themselves better than you think. They, and the world, are stronger than we think… I’m sure of it…”

She looked up slowly, her tear-filled eyes pleading. “…stay with me, Sister…”

Deis smiled fondly. “You’ve changed, Myria…” She slithered over to her sister, knelt by her side, and embraced her. “I’ll be here with you… by your side…”

She smiled as well. “Thank you, Sister… thank you…”

And, together, they plunged into sea of flames… into the explosion that removed every trace of the goddesses that were once there.

 

* * *

 

On the surface of the sand, a sword stabbed into the ground, a trail of footprints leading away from it.

The young man strode between the broken pieces of machinery, his footprints trailing behind him.

A soft gust of wind blew.

A short distance away, the princess waited for him. As soon as he was close enough, she started walked alongside him, their footprints side by side.

Her wings fluttered, like a butterfly’s wings.

There, at the top of a cliff, engineer sat on the sand, worn out. Her robot doll lay contently on her lap.

The half-tiger stood some distance away, his arms crossed, facing away.

They followed his eyes.

As they all gazed at the scenery before them, Ryu turned his eyes towards the sky.

What awaited them beyond the cliff was a vast sea of sand.

And a whole new beginning.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it’s the last chapter before epilogue! It’s finally over! WAHEE!!
> 
> Though if you find Myria’s personality too… uh, strange… well that’s because I based it on Breath of Fire, the first one. In BoF, Myria, then called Tyr, is the Goddess of Destruction. I never really played all the way to the end, but I based it on a BoF1 novelisation (which was quite accurate). The author described Tyr as a young girl, with a playful personality, which is a fact further confirmed by the BoF manga (I read it on MangaFox), the guides from GameFAQs and various BoF discussions around. I just extended this same personality on Myria, together with the holiness the game gave her. But even I feel stunned when I see her this way. xP
> 
> The ending is so sad, when I played a YouTube video of the anime-like ending where they walked on the sand… Myria’s end is so sad, too. T_T


	33. Epilogue

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Epilogue**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

_As I search for something I was beginning to forget  
I want to hold on tightly to the wings of purity_

 

The sun shone brightly, extending its rays along the green lands. A gust of wind blew, gentle even as it rushed high above the white of clouds.

A lone white bird, its large wings spread to catch the wind, glided lazily above the clouds, its shining black eyes on the lookout for happenings as it travelled across the unknown lands.

 

_The shell of sadness is covered by the crest of a wave  
The days that I was picking my way through already have to be cast away_

 

A group of miners of Dauna Mine cheered loudly outside, their hands raised in joy as their voices rang across the noisy place. They all crowded around one of their fellow friends, with excited grins on their faces.

“Gary!” one of them shouted. “It’s great to see you back after all these years!”

The half-fox man, the fur on his face a little whiter now, grinned. “Hey, Joey, it’s great to be back! It’s good to see you guys again!”

“You bet it’s good to see you again!” another man cried. “After you were torched by that Dragon ten years ago, we thought you and Mogu were goners!!” A grin formed on his face. “Good thing you recovered, even if you did take years, it just ain’t the same without our drinking partners!

Gary grinned as well. “Of course! Too bad Mogu isn’t completely recovered yet, but he’s looking good, so we can expect him back next week!”

“That’s great news!” a man yelled. “We’ll have a celebration next week!”

“A reunion!” another added.

A cheer rang through the crowd, with everyone giving each other a high-five. Gary laughed at his friends’ antics, glad to be back.

Once everyone calmed down, one of his friends slapped his back. “Hey, Gary, you haven’t met our newest drinking partner yet, have you?”

The half-fox raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

The crowd parted, revealing a thin man, his purple hair messy and his red-green clothes patched. He looked around nervously, stepping forward with the slowest movements.

“H-hello,” he said. “My n-name is Emitai…”

The others roared in laughter, as though that was the funniest thing they ever heard.

Gary grinned and placed a hand on the newcomer’s shoulder. “Welcome aboard, Emitai.”

 

_When the sands awake from their sleep_  
A bouquet of happiness is carried over by the wind  
No longer can I look back

 

As the white bird stopped to rest on the roof of a house, the people gathered at the southern end of Yrall Village, next to a particular field of corn ready to be harvested. There was no hustle and bustle today, however; everyone was dressed in their best garments, shifting nervously as they waited.

A few short minutes passed, feeling as though it was a few long hours, before a modest carriage drew up from the path that led to Wyndia, pulled by two well-trained horses. The villagers gazed anxiously as they watched its occupant descend.

It was a handsome young man, dressed in modest garments that did not quite fit his elegant look and short golden curls. He carried one of his own trunks, while his attendant, a serious-faced middle-aged man that carried an air of a butler, held another.

“Greetings, people of Yrall!” the young man said loudly, flashing his smile with a wave of his free hand. “I am Joseph Garwell, and I hail from our grand capital of Wyndia!”

The villagers stared at him, as though they were looking at something from another world.

An old man, trying to hide his surprise, stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “Welcome to our humble village, Mr. Mayor.”

The others quickly bowed as well.

Joseph laughed. “Oh, no, no, no, I’m not the actual mayor of this village. It is my father who was appointed by the castle, but as he’s busy dealing with a problem at our summer home in Dauna, I’ve been sent here ahead.”

This time, the old man could not hide his surprise. “I-I see…”

He patted his back reassuringly. “Not to worry, not to worry! I just need to know how things are run around here so I can relay it to my father! I heard the previous mayor set the taxes a little too high?”

A woman nodded. “Yes, Sir Garwell! He robbed us of our hard work and sold it to the black market!!”

“He didn’t even bother listening to us!!” a man cried.

As if a valve had broken, the villagers were suddenly filled with the urge to speak, and they all tried to speak at once.

“Ah, I see.” Joseph smiled and waved them quiet. “Well then, if you would explain to me how things were run around here, maybe we can agree on a rate. But I assure you it won’t be as high as your last tax!”

A cheer broke through the crowd. Some of the men could not help but to dance about, some of the women were teary from joy.

Things were certainly looking better in Yrall Village.

 

_Somewhere on this planet, a smiling face is born  
Eyes dyed in bright sky-blue sparkle_

 

“Hal and Theo from Highwind Street, Wyndia have arrived!” the guard’s purposeful voice announced loudly.

Nina sighed; she hated audiences. Still, she had no choice, since her father was ill in bed and her mother thought it would be good practice for her to take over. Oh well, it was already evening. It would soon end.

But, as the two announced men entered, she was stunned. Some of the maids gasped in surprise.

Both men were covered in snowy white flour and egg yolks, their expression grim. One of them wore a white apron, while the other had a broken eggshell on his head.

“Um… what is it that you have come to seek?” Nina asked, sitting up slowly.

“Your Majesty–” the men said at the same time, and then glared at each other. It seemed they were both eager to tell their tale.

She sighed again. “I take it that you are both on disagreeable terms and you have come to me to settle your disputes… very well.” She gestured at the apron-wearing man. “You, tell me your tale first.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he answered. “My name is Hal, a baker from Best Bread Bakery on Highwind Street. I bought twenty bags of flour from the grocery near Fountain Square and was on my way back when this–” He threw an angry look at the other man. “– _hooligan_ crashed into me at the corner and made me drop all my bags of flour!”

The eggshell man – presumably Theo – growled. “ _Crashed into you_?! It was you who crashed into me!”

“What is your version of the story?” Nina questioned him quickly, before they erupted into another argument.

Theo bowed, the broken eggshell on his head rolling onto the clean carpet. “Yes, Your Majesty. My name is Theo, I’m a delivery boy at Angel Chicken Farm, also on Highwind Street. I was delivering cartons of eggs to Pan Bakery two streets away when this–” He glanced at Hall, his eyes blazing. “– _nasty piece of work_ crashed into me!”

“ _Nasty piece of work_?!” the baker exclaimed. “Get a better insult, peasant!”

“You’re as much of a peasant as I am!”

“Egghead!”

“You… you… flourhead!”

The two men argued heatedly in the throne room of Wyndia Castle, with the soldiers and maids in the vicinity staring at them, dumbfounded. Nina rolled her eyes as she rested her arm on the armrest, leaning her cheek on a hand, hoping that they would cool down enough after they had argued long enough.

After some time, however, the quarrel showed no signs of ceasing.

“How long have they been at it, Aleya?” the princess asked without looking up.

Her attendant, a sweet girl about the same age with her long brown hair tied up, answered, “It’s been about fifteen minutes, Princess.”

She sighed. “I could cook a bowl of noodles for myself with that much time…” She stood up abruptly, stepped forward and raised her voice as high as she could. “SILENCE!!”

Her shrill voice echoed along the walls, stunning everyone in the hall into silence.

“You are here to settle your dispute, are you not? I may not have the skill and knowledge to settle it as well as my father would, but now that he is ill in bed, you will have to live with it!” She frowned. “Do you wish to continue your argument in prison?!”

Realisation hitting them, the two men quickly knelt in respect, their heads lowered.

“N-no, Your Highness…” Theo said, nervously.

“We’ve come in hopes of settling our problem with your wisdom, Your Highness…” Hal added quickly.

Nina nodded in approval. “Fine. To settle your dispute…” She pointed at them. “Each one of you will have to pay enough zenny to the other to pay for damages!”

“W-what?!” they exclaimed.

She crossed her arms, her eyes gleaming dangerously. “Are you not satisfied?”

They shook their head quickly. “N-no, Your Highness! We’re satisfied! We’re very satisfied!!”

“Good.” She turned to one of the soldiers. “Please accompany them and ensure that they… settle their dispute amicably.”

The guard saluted, smiling in amusement. “Yes, Your Highness.”

As he accompanied the two disappointed men out of the throne room, Aleya faced the princess.

“Wow! That’s great, Princess!” she cried in awe.

Nina grinned. “I’m good at this, aren’t I?” She stretched. “But I think that’s enough audiences for today. I’m going to take a bath.”

“Yes, Princess, I’ll draw the bath for you!” With that, Aleya rushed over to the princess’ room.

When Nina was about to follow suit, she happened to glance at the wide open window. Her eyes shone as the great white bird flew past, wings spread as it glided lazily in the evening sky. She followed it quickly, running to the balcony outside her room, where she could see it disappearing over the horizon to the south.

“Such a big white bird…” she muttered to herself. “I wonder if Ryu will see it too…?”

 

_The days that will pass us by are already a distant dream  
I shall go with you, so please hold my hand_

 

“Oh man, doesn’t this just beat all?” Rei grumbled, shaking his head. “Why do I have to help you move these boxes?”

Momo dropped a box on her desk at her tower. “Because I asked you to, and it’s not like you’re busy right now!”

“So what, I’m just a mover for you now?”

“Yes, you’re obviously strong enough.” She grinned. “That’s a compliment, you know!”

He was taken aback. “U-uh, thanks, I guess.” He placed the box he was carrying down on the floor, beside the desk. “So, why’re you packing your stuff today? You’re moving somewhere?”

She shook her head. “No, I just wanted to clear that particular floor so I can set up the proper lab for my new project there.”

Rei shrugged. “I probably shouldn’t ask, since I won’t understand much of it anyway.”

“Oh, you will.” She smiled. “I’ll be researching on ways to improve plants so that they can live in the desert!” She paused, seemingly thoughtful. “Or maybe I should develop fertiliser first?”

“I don’t know anything about machinery, or what you call science,” he admitted, but then smiled. “But it’s a great goal.”

She grinned, looking proud of herself. “Of course it is! After the trip across the world and fighting the Goddess, I figured we should do our share in surviving in this world!”

He grinned as well. “Since when the machine-crazy muddlehead thought of anything but finishing researches and projects?”

“Hey, take that back!” She tossed a small book at him.

His eyes widened as he ducked. “H-hey!”

Honey, standing on a desk cluttered with books, shook her head exasperatedly.

The white bird, sitting on the window sill of the room, cackled, as though laughing.

Both of them looked up, surprised.

Rei spoke first, “Hey, that weird bird sounds like… it’s laughing at us.”

“Yeah…” Momo shook her head. “Do you think it is?”

“Who knows?” He shrugged, then smirked. “We argue a lot, don’t we?”

“And whose fault is it?” She laughed. “But you’re not that bad a person, Rei.”

He smiled. “You too, Momo.”

Deciding that it had seen enough, the white bird spread its wings and took off, flying into the distant skies.

The two of them rushed to the window to look.

“There it goes!” Rei cried, putting a hand over his eyes to see properly.

“It’s a migratory bird…” Momo said, shaking her head. “I wonder if it’s going to a faraway place, just like we did?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, Momo, but who knows?”

And there they stayed for some time, watching the bird disappearing into the distant eastern sky, together.

 

_As I search for something I was beginning to forget  
I want to hold on tightly to the wings of purity_

 

“Mama!” the little baby cried, flashing her partially toothless grin. “Papa!”

“Oh, Shayd!” Shadis cried, tears in her eyes. “Call me Mama again!”

Beyd, standing beside his wife, grinned proudly.

Now, it wasn’t a strange sight to see a small child learning to call her parents… rather, the strangest sight would be all the burly sailors cheering at the top of their voices. The child was unflustered; she had grown used to the noise by now.

“Miss Shayd learned how to speak!” one sailor exclaimed.

“This calls for a celebration!!” another declared.

“A celebration!!” Zig yelled, his voice the loudest among them. “YEAH!!”

Another cheer rang through the wharf of Rhapala.

Beyd shook his head quickly, trying to calm his men down. “No, wait, there’s no need to raise a fuss about this!”

But no one was listening to him, as they were already discussing the celebration plans loudly.

He sighed softly.

Shadis giggled, carrying her daughter in her arms. “Oh, let them be, Beyd. Shayd must be happy, having so many uncles to take care of her!” She gave Shayd a kiss on the forehead. “Aren’t you, Shayd?”

“Mama!” Shayd said happily. “Papa!”

Beyd smiled, giving her a kiss on the forehead as well. “Yeah, we’re lucky, aren’t we?”

His wife gave him a light peck on the lips. “Yes, we’re lucky.”

The white bird, perched on a nearby crate, whistled.

 

_The time I crossed the river of memories_  
I was becoming cowardly  
But because you were there for me  
I could still draw on my courage

 

“Ugh!” the large ox-man grunted as he tugged at the rope that extended into the sea. “Looks like we got another big one!” Turning to his assistant, he shouted, “Get the other workers!”

His half-monkey assistant saluted. “Yes, boss! Right away, boss!” Facing away, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled as loud as he could, “WHOEVER HELPS BOSS GETS EXTRA TWENTY ZENNY IN WAGES!!”

For a small man, his voice was huge – it rang across Steel Beach like a huge shockwave, startling the other Machine Guildsmen. Once the words had registered in their heads, with money gleaming in their eyes, they all crowded around the ox-man within seconds.

“Heave, ho!” they cried. “Heave, ho!”

They pulled simultaneously, in the same monotonous rhythm as though they were marching, their cries louder than the rush of sea waves.

“Ugh, it’s heavy!” one guy yelled.

“Keep at it, boys!” the half-ox said, pulling at the rope with his muscular arms, then yelled at his subordinate, “Can you see what it is yet?!”

The assistant stood on his toes, with one hand shielding his eyes from the sun. “I see it, boss! Something big!”

Yes, it was certainly something big. It required all the strength of the crowd to pull it out, and soon everyone could see a huge shadow in the water.

Then, the monkey man paled. “B-Boss, it don’t look like no machine!”

“What? Another one of those monster fishes?!” Turning to the rest of the Machine Guildsmen. “Go get the machines!!”

“R-right away, sir!” they answered and ran off at once, leaving the ox-man to pull the rope on his own.

“The last time it made fools out of us and the strangers beat it up easily…” The boss grinned. “This time we’re prepared!”

Annoyed at being pulled out of the sea against its will, the ‘thing’ in the sea splashed out of the water, leaping high into the air and crashing onto the ground with a big crash.

It was another Angler, slightly smaller than the last one they saw. Its whiskers wriggled from its face as it roared, revealing gleaming sharp teeth. The guildsmen retreated out of the way, but they weren’t afraid.

At that very moment, several heavy footsteps sounded in the air. Three humanoid robots marched across the sandy, machine-filled beach, arms poised for battle. Within the glass hemisphere that was its head, the workers controlled the large machines with ease.

The Angler roared again, its whiskers raised and glowing dangerously as a burst of blue thunderbolt came rushing from the tip and struck the robots mercilessly.

The monkey man flinched, even though the thunderbolt didn’t hit him – it had to hurt.

However, as soon as thunderbolt faded, the three robots emerged unscathed.

The half-ox grinned. “Lightning-proof bots! Go get them!!”

“Yes, sir!” came the workers’ voices in unison, and the battle robots charged, switching their fists for flamethrowers, their new weapons clicking into place.

Instead of chrysm bullets, it fired a blast of flames.

The angler roared, writhing violently in pain as it burned in the hot flames. It thrashed around, its strong tail knocking a pile of machines, but there was no escape for it.

Soon, it was just a body on the ground, burned to a crisp.

“Fried fish, anyone?!” the boss shouted.

The guildsmen broke into a loud, enthusiastic cheer.

And the bird cackled with laughter.

 

_This world is always overflowing with dreams  
As I protect this seemingly-fragile heart_

 

“What?!” the Parch mayor cried. “You want to me to tell you about the Legendary Mariner so you could make me eat those nasty fish again, don’t you?!”

The children were taken aback, their eyes gazing at him in fear.

“N-no, Mr. Mayor,” one child spoke up. “We just want to–”

“FIDDLESTICKS!!” The mayor stood up abruptly, grabbed the nearest cushion and tossed it at them. “I won’t let you stuff me with anymore nasty fishes!!”

“Aaah!!” the children screamed, turning and escaping from the house of horrors, vowing never again to return.

“Mr. Mayor, s-sir!” his attendant squealed. “Please don’t throw things at the dear children; they only wanted to know about the Legendary Mariner!”

“You’ll only give me more nasty fish to eat, aren’t you?!” The mayor stubbornly crossed his arm. “I’ll only tell them about the Mariner only if you make some shisu for me to eat!!”

She blinked. “S-shisu, sir…? But it’s made of…”

“I know what it’s made of!” he snapped. “Go on, quickly bring a whole plate for me! And bring those children back when you’re done, and not a moment sooner!”

The attendant glowed with happiness. “Y-yes, sir!”

The mayor was changing, thanks to the strangers teaching her how to make the Wyndian delicacy.

And, atop a wooden house, the white bird decided it had rested enough. Taking off into the sky, it turned to the north, prepared to cross the wide ocean.

 

_I want to be looking at your gaze  
And I shall go with you always_

 

Ryu stepped down from the portal, feeling appreciative towards the portal technology Myria had left behind. He was beginning to have second thoughts about the Goddess, that she might actually be serious about protecting this world… like a protective mother rather than a goddess desiring a position of power.

But it was the path he had chosen; the path he had chosen to live.

And he had one last task in this world.

For Lord Ladon.

Outside the portal room, he descended the long staircase that led into Dragnier. He had noted that the Dragon Village had hardly changed since he was here with his comrades the last time – it was still a desolated village, with its elderly residents getting on with their daily lives.

However, as soon as they had spied him, an expression of hope and happiness washed over their faces as they dropped everything they were doing and crowded around him. In their excitement, they all spoke at the same time, their words garbled among another’s. All Ryu could catch was, “Welcome back, Lord Ryu!”

Griol, the village patriarch, raised a hand and the crowd grew silent.

“Welcome home, Lord Ryu,” he said, bowing in respect.

The other villagers bowed as well.

The young man nodded. “Master Griol.” He glanced at the others. “Everyone.”

“Lord Ryu…” an old woman spoke, her voice quivering. “Since you have returned since your departure into the desert weeks ago…” She shook her head, hesitating. “…you have finally defeated the Goddess…?”

All eyes focused on the Dragon Prince, hope and anticipation filling their eyes.

Ryu smiled. “Yes, I have.”

Gasps came from the crowd.

“It is truly astounding news,” Griol said. “The destiny we all have been waiting for centuries… it is finally during the tenth cycle of the Destined One when the destiny is fulfilled.” He smiled. “Well done, Lord Ryu.”

“Can we…?” A woman shook her head, hesitance in her cracked voice. “Can we dare to hope that we can return to Gods’ Realm… to return to what we once were…?”

“That’s what I’m here for.” Ryu lowered his head, his eyes closed. “I’m travelling around the world, in order to bring the souls of the Brood together again. Once I’m done…” He gazed at his people and smiled. “We’ll all return to Gods’ Realm, back to Lord Ladon.”

Several gasps filled the air once more, and some of the women shrieked in joy as they hugged one another. Even the men couldn’t contain their emotions; some had even started crying, while the others were teary.

“May Ladon bless you, Lord Ryu!” an old woman cried between her tears.

“Thanks to you, we can all finally rest in peace!” a man shouted, burying his face in his arm.

“Everyone, we’ll all be together as a family again.” Ryu smiled and spread his hands. “Now, please close your eyes, and picture Gods’ Realm in your mind.”

Sounds of excitement turned into silence as the people obeyed, each one closing their eyes as a look of happiness, of utmost joy, showed on their faces. Some of them clasped their hands together, as though in prayer.

Gradually, the people began transforming into dazzling spheres of light that floated in the air – spheres of light that were free from suffering, finally in peace. They circled around Ryu, who then closed his eyes, and disappeared into him. One by one, they entered his body, awaiting the time they would finally be where they belong.

Gods’ Realm.

When the last of the spheres had disappeared into him, Ryu opened his eyes once more.

His task in this village was complete.

It was then when Ladon spoke to him.

“ _Thank you, Ryu.”_ There was utmost gratitude in his voice. _“Thank you for your loyalty.”_

“No, Lord Ladon…” He shook his head. “Thank you for giving me your power… for giving me life.”

With that, he turned back towards the portal.

_I promise I’ll come and see you soon, Nina…_

And the white bird soared overhead.

 

_As I search for something I was beginning to forget  
I want to hold on tightly to the wings of purity_

 

“Dad! Dad!!” the children cried, running across the grassy areas of the Oasis past the Desert of Death.

A man, dressed in white clothes, looked up from his book. “Huh? What is it, children?”

“Dad!” one boy shouted excitedly. “The seeds we planted a few days ago sprouted!!”

“What?!” he exclaimed, standing up so suddenly that he knocked his head on the low ceiling hard. Once he had recovered enough from the pain, holding his head, he spluttered, “T-the seeds sprouted?!”

“Yes, Daddy!” A small girl giggled. “It’s the first time in years! It’s in the sand, too!”

 

_As I search for something I was beginning to forget  
I want to hold on tightly to the wings of purity_

 

The white bird, having flown a long distance, finally stopped to rest on the sea of sand below. It perched on a piece of machinery, its black eyes gazing around.

In the distance, the ruins of Caer Xhan stood, a desolated, lonely place that was once an exciting city full of people.

Among the broken machines, the bird could see the top of a pink bulb, mostly buried in the sand. It jumped onto the sand, staring at the pink thing curiously.

Suddenly, the bulb shook.

It shook again and again, first slowly, then violently, as though trying to let something out.

The bird took a step closer, wondering what it was.

And suddenly, a small sapling sprouted from the bulb, startling the bird enough to jump back.

It was truly a magical plant, sprouting into a tiny sapling in an instant when it took days for an ordinary plant. It shook itself happily, drawing in the power of the sun, looking as though it was determined to withstand the harsh environment.

And there it would stay, to grow into a large tree that would be the centre of a lush forest, prevailing against the great desert.

Peco’s task in this world had been fulfilled.

 

_Life begins again._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you’re wondering, I wrote this epilogue with an anime ending in mind, something like Wild Arms 2’s ending credits, if you’ve played it, with BoF3’s ending credits song “Pure Again” playing in the background (hence the lyrics). It’s fun writing it!
> 
> But for those of you who have fully memorised the lyrics for some reason… you’ll notice that I’ve switched and changed the lyrics around, so that I could shorten it. I didn’t have enough scenes to go with the songs. o_o
> 
> Well, that’s the end of BoF3! Hopefully you enjoyed yourselves reading it! :D


	34. Afterword

**Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons**

**Afterword**

Written by Estrelita Farr

 

**Author’s Musings:**

So, here we are, at the end of the novelisation. How was it? Fun? Epic? Disappointing? While I’ve been writing stories for years, this is actually my first novelisation.

What? The first novelisation? Whaaaaaaat?

Yep, it’s my first! I used to write original fantasy / adventure stories before my two-year-long hiatus before the start of this novelisation, but I had to warm up my writing skills again, so I decided to write novelisations for a while since the storyline is already, uh, all portrayed out for me to use.

But you know what? I loved writing this Breath of Fire III novelisation so much in fact I don’t think I want to go back to original fiction for a while!

So much for being an original novel writer. xP

The main BoF3 soundtrack used while writing this novelisation is Epitaph of Alan and Cerl (OC Remix). :D

 

* * *

 

**Why choose Breath of Fire III for a novelisation? Why not other games?**

The first reason; I love Dragons. I’ve always loved Dragons being the really powerful legendary avian creatures, with power that could shake the world; this trait really showed in my completed original novel. While I’m normally tolerant of them, I dislike stories that describe Dragons as evil beings, like how they’re normally described in western lore (the whole prince-rescues-princess-from-evil-Dragon thing). BoF3 is different because even though they’re first portrayed as an evil race, they’re actually misunderstood.

I also love azure-haired, good-looking male protagonists, being the silly female I am. Ryu fits the requirements!

Of course, I didn’t pick BoF3 just because it has Dragons and a good-looking azure-haired hero… in that case, why wouldn’t I choose BoF, BoF2, BoF4 or even BoF5? Well, it’s pretty simple… I love BoF3 the most among the BoF series, one reason is because it’s the first of the series I played. Nostalgia played an important role in my choice. I’m sure you feel nostalgic if you’ve played the game before you read this story, right? xP

 

* * *

 

**Will there be other novelisations in future?**

Of course. Maybe not another BoF game novelisation so soon, since I’ve just finished BoF3, but there will be another game novelisation in near future.

The title I’ve chosen for my next novelisation is Alundra, which is an action RPG also on the PS1. It has a storyline involving the rise of a demon god, who seems to be able to create chaos by making the villagers of Inoa go to sleep, get lost in days-long nightmare and never wake up… it’s pretty scary. Alundra (the good-looking-but-sadly-not-azure-haired protagonist) has the ability to enter dreams, and he has to figure out how the god manages to get into these people’s souls before they all die.

It does seem I like gods / goddesses stories, doesn’t it? o_o

So far, I’ve only finished prologue… I hope to finish it by end year so I can start posting it here for you guys to read, but don’t count on it. I’m starting work soon, and I may not be able to finish it in time. Still, one can hope, right? xP

 

* * *

 

**Special thanks to all readers and reviewers out there!**

Without you awesome people, I wouldn't have finished this novelisation. :D

Thanks for your support, everyone!

 

* * *

 

**Added 12 Dec 2017: Special afterword for readers of Archive of Our Own!**

Hello, AO3 readers! You may not know, but I originally posted this story over at FanFiction (dot) net way back in 2008 – 2009 when I completed it. And today (12 Dec 2017), I decided to take the plunge and post it here at AO3! Do note I did so without changing any of the writing, except for some spelling and grammatical errors; it's so that I can look back and see how much I've grown since then. :)

 _Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons_ is one of my favourite stories to-date and I still read I every now and then, even though I wrote it myself! Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing (and re-reading) it. :D

 


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